TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the letter of 12 January from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire.

Malcolm Wicks: I replied to the hon. Member on 6 February as the issues raised fall within my portfolio.

Electricity Supply

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what minimum (a) additional utilities infrastructure, (b) additional works to existing electricity supply infrastructure and (c) change in per capita consumption of electricity he expects to be required in order to enable an adequate electricity supply to be maintained when the Government have achieved its target for additional new dwellings in Mid Sussex by 2016; and what steps the Government are taking to ensure an adequate electricity supply.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 6 March 2006
	This is a matter for the companies concerned, in discussion with their energy providers. However, the Government recognises the importance of infrastructure as an essential element in developing sustainable communities, whether delivered by the private or public sector, and is developing several initiatives to facilitate infrastructure delivery and funding. For example consultation on a Planning Gain Supplement and a cross cutting government review of infrastructure were both announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor in December 2005.

Gas Prices

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to protect consumers from high gas prices; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: A number of programmes are in place to help vulnerable consumers. In particular, the 2001 Fuel Poverty Strategy set out programmes across the UK with the target that no household in the UK should be in fuel poverty by 2018. Funding for fuel poverty programmes was increased by £300 million in the Chancellor's pre-Budget report.
	The Government have no role in setting prices, and cannot direct Ofgem as to its approach to the market, which has delivered gas and electricity prices that remain below the EU 15 median price. Expenditure on energy was, on average, three per cent of household income in 2004/05. The Government are concerned that, at a time of rising prices, all consumers take measures to minimise energy expenditure while properly heating their homes, by choosing the most appropriate supplier and tariff, using the cheapest payment method (usually direct debit), and taking energy efficiency measures.

Geothermal Energy

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of geothermal energy to meeting (a) current and (b) future domestic energy requirements.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK Government have previously assessed the potential geothermal resource from aquifers (permeable rock formations) as part of a broader strategic evaluation of indigenous energy supplies during the 1980s. The conclusions of this work were published in 1986 1 . The results revealed that the resource was limited either because surface temperatures or permeabilities were lower than expected. It is possible that this resource could be developed in the future for commercial or other applications if the resource is sufficiently promising and is in close proximity to a large heat demand.
	Between 1977 and 1994 the UK attempted to develop Hot Dry Rock technology. The development of the technology revealed a number of problems. These included the creation of a suitable reservoir, the ability to seal short circuits, and the extrapolation of rock mass characteristics to a depth where temperatures might be sufficiently high enough for electricity generation (~6km). In order to determine the relative performance of an HDR system at this depth a conceptual design for a commercial prototype was developed which provided the basis for resource/cost modelling. This conceptual design highlighted the very high unit costs of generation (~17 p/kWh at 1990 prices). In view of these difficulties it was decided to re-evaluate the costs and performance of HDR systems in combination with collaborative participation in the European programme.
	The European HDR programme is still under development and will be further evaluated through the development of a small pilot plant. Its performance will be monitored, however there is no certainty that even if successful the technology would be competitive for the UK.
	More recently interest has been growing in the use of Ground Source Heat Pumps. This technology can be applied to buildings of virtually any scale including domestic dwellings. It relies on heat exchange with the ground immediately beneath or close to buildings. There are at least 15 installations connected to commercial or public buildings in the UK, including the recently opened Welsh Assembly building.
	The UK Government have directed its efforts into promoting the technology rather than resource assessment, which could be regarded as virtually ubiquitous. Both Defra and the DTI, in collaboration with the Heat Pump Association, have helped establish a UK Heat Pump Network to develop a partnership between manufacturers, specialist advisers, and user groups. This network will ensure that independent and authoritative advice is available on the application and use of heat pumps.
	1 Geothermal Aquifers, Department of Energy R&D Programme 1976–1986, ETSU-R-39, 1986.

GM Crops

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the recent WTO ruling on genetically modified crops.

Ian Pearson: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) issued an interim report to parties on 8 February 2006. According to WTO rules, interim reports are confidential, and they are only circulated to the parties to the dispute in order for them to send comments to the panel. The final panel report will be publicly available and is expected in April.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Public Order

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions there were between his Department and the Metropolitan police concerning the protests outside the Danish embassy on 3 February (a) before and (b) after the event.

Charles Clarke: There was no contact between the Home Office and the Metropolitan police before the protest outside the Danish embassy on 3 February. I asked for and received a briefing note about this protest from the Metropolitan police on 6 February.

Terrorism

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further resources to protect the public against terrorism he plans to allocate.

Charles Clarke: I announced, via a written ministerial statement to the House on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 57WS, additional counter-terrorism funding for the police service. Additional police specific counter-terrorism funding is set out in the table.
	
		£ million
		
			  2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 Resource   
			 Metropolitan Police 30 45 
			 Local and Regional Policing outside of London 33 65 
			 Total 63 110 
			
			 Capital   
			 Police Service 30 35

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Mineral Water

Graham Stringer: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many bottles of mineral water were purchased by the House of Commons in each of the last three financial years.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons purchased the following number of bottles of mineral water in each of the last three financial years:
	
		Number of bottles
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 330 ml bottles 19,176 0 0 
			 500 ml bottles 151,996 159,936 158,712 
			 750 ml bottles 80 16,716 336 
			 1 litre bottles 70,941 53,854 70,021 
			 Total (in litres) 153,402 146,359 149,629 
		
	
	This water was purchased by the Refreshment department for sale in the House of Commons bars and restaurants, and for supply to the Serjeant at Arms' department for use in the Committee and meeting rooms. 22,586 of the 70,021 1 litre bottles purchased in 2004–05 were transferred from the Refreshment department to the Serjeant at Arms' department for this purpose. No figures are available for the number of bottles transferred in previous years, but the quantity is likely to have been broadly similar.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport Users Council

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) independence and (b) efficiency of the Air Transport Users Council.

Karen Buck: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The Air Transport Users Council (AUC) was set up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to assist it in its statutory duty to further the reasonable interests of users of air transport services. The Government reviewed this arrangement during the preparation of the White Paper on the Future of Air Transport (2003). It concluded that the arrangement enabled the AUC to function independently of the air transport industry and that it remained a suitable model for representation of air passenger interests in the UK.
	The AUC is accountable to the CAA for its efficiency through the CAA's business planning process.

British Transport Police

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the terms of reference are of the review of the British Transport Police in relation to safety on trains and at stations.

Derek Twigg: Following my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport's written statement on 11 October 2005, Official Report, columns 27–28WS, copies of the terms of reference for the review of the British Transport Police were placed in the Libraries of the House on 19 October 2005.

Bus Conductors

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus conductors there were in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Karen Buck: Decisions on whether to use conductors on bus services outside London are largely a matter for commercial operators. In London, the number of conductors employed is a matter for Transport for London. The Department does not collect information on the number of conductors employed by the industry.

Concessionary Travel

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of offering (a) free and (b) concessionary rail travel for senior citizens.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport already ensures that all train operators participate in the Senior Railcard scheme which gives discounts on train travel nationwide for people over 60. Additional concessions for senior citizens may be proposed and funded by local authorities.

Concessionary Travel

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities outside London and the metropolitan areas have provided free concessionary bus transport on a county basis.

Karen Buck: There are currently no free countywide concessionary bus travel schemes outside London and the metropolitan areas.

Crossrail

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the role is of the firm Linklaters in relation to work on the Crossrail project for his Department; and how much has been paid to this firm so far.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 14 February 2006
	Linklaters, who are a firm of solicitors, have been employed by the Department for Transport to provide advice on all commercial legal aspects of the Crossrail project and develop commercial agreements in which the Department has an interest. At present, the Department has not made any payments to Linklaters.

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies which report to him.

Karen Buck: DfT HQ buildings do not have any centrally provided 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers. The following DfT Agencies do use such numbers:
	DSA has the following numbers:
	0870 01 01 372English Language test bookings
	0870 01 00 372Welsh Language test bookings
	0870 01 02 372Fax test bookings
	0870 01 07 372Minicom test bookings
	DVLA has the following numbers:
	08000325202Stockton Vehicle Excise Duty
	08456 022006Automated First Registration and Licensing
	08456 060160Hire Purchase
	08702 400009Customer Inquiry Drivers Main
	08702400010Customer Inquiry Vehicles Main
	08702 400669Newcastle local office
	08702 400671Lincoln local office
	08702 400691Preston local office
	08702 400692Carlisle local office
	08702 400695Stockton local office
	08702 401223Shrewsbury local office
	08702 401224Cardiff local office
	08702 401225Bangor local office
	08702 401315Sheffield local office
	08702 401316Beverley local office
	08702 401317 Bristol local office
	08702 401318Chester local office
	08702 401319Worcester local office
	08702 401320Swansea local office
	08702 403514Leeds local office
	08702 403515Luton local office
	08702 403516Sidcup local office
	08702 403517Maidstone local office
	08702403518Birmingham local office
	08702 404730Portsmouth local office
	08702 404731Bournemouth local office
	08702 404732Brighton local office
	08702 404734Exeter local office
	08702 406278Truro local office
	08702 406279Aberdeen local office
	08702 406280Dundee local office
	08702 406281Edinburgh local office
	08702 406282Glasgow local office
	08702 406283Inverness local office
	08702 407779Glasgow Continuous Registration Enforcement Centre
	08702 408228Northampton local office
	08702 408229Peterborough local office
	08702 408230Oxford local office
	08702 408231Ipswich local office
	08702 408232Norwich local office
	08702 411269Stanmore local office
	08702 411876Nottingham local office
	08702 411879Vocational
	08702 412146Manchester local office
	08702 412147Chelmsford local office
	08702 415161Reading local office
	08702415450Drivers Med Diabetes
	08702 419034Northampton Continuous Registration Enforcement Centre
	08706 000301Ordinary Driving Licence
	08706 001096Bournemouth Continuous Registration Enforcement Centre
	08706 006767Wimbledon local office
	08708500007Local office Golden Number
	08708500964Sale of Marks
	08708 501074Tachographs
	08708 504444Electronic Vehicle Licensing
	Highways Agency has the following numbers:
	National Switchboard: 08459 556575
	Highways Agency Information Line: 08457 504030
	Finance Query line: 08000 186969
	Automated real-time traffic service: 08700 660115
	MCA has an Infoline0870 600 6505.
	VOSA has two such telephone numbers:
	0870 606 0440National public inquiries
	0845 600 5977Mainly used by garages although still available to the public.
	Siemens (contracted to implement the MOT computerisation scheme) also run an 0870 number on VOSA's behalf0870 330 0440MOT certificate validation service.
	There is also an old number0870 010 2607which used to be the operator licensing number, although it now redirects callers to the national public inquiry line.

Discretionary Travel Schemes

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the discretionary travel schemes which have been adopted in each Passenger Transport Executive area in addition to the free off-peak bus travel.

Karen Buck: holding answer 7 March 2006
	All schemes must meet the statutory minimum entitlement by 1 April 2006. The Department does not yet have full details of any discretionary enhancements that will be offered in PTE areas. We will carry out a comprehensive survey of concessionary fares schemes later in the year.

Evesham Station

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what involvement his Department has had in the provision of disabled access to the up platform at Evesham station; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the delay to the project; and if he will provide financial assistance to meet cost increases attributed to decisions and requirements of his Department.

Karen Buck: All access improvements at stations are required to meet the requirements of the Train and Station Services for Disabled Passenger Code of Practice. Where an operator considers that they are unable to do so they can seek a dispensation from the Department.
	First Great Western Link (FGWL) sought a dispensation for the ramp to the up platform because it failed to provide adequate resting places and each section of the ramp would be twice the required length. The dispensation was refused on 20 December 2005 on the grounds that the ramp would be unsuitable for many of the disabled passengers for which it was intended.
	We understand that an alternative design for the ramp is being considered. The Department has indicated to FGWL that we will consider an application to use its Small Works Budget to make up the shortfall in funding. We understand that FGWL are awaiting a decision from Worcestershire County Council about co-funding of the scheme.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unelected people are provided with cars by the Government Car and Despatch Agency; and what the cost to public funds was in 200405.

Karen Buck: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1889W, and to the letter of 20 December from Roy Burke, the chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Member, copies of which were placed in the Libraries of the House.

Infrastructure Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department will be contributing to the Community Infrastructure Fund in each of the next five years.

Karen Buck: The Community Infrastructure Fund, jointly managed by this Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, comprises 50 million in 200607 and 150 million in 200708. Any future funding will depend on the outcome of the 2007 Spending Review.

Insecticides

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is mandatory for airlines to spray insecticide in the interior of aircraft cabins on flights arriving in the UK; what rules govern this practice; what insecticides are permitted for use; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: The use of insecticide is required under the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on flights to or from certain destinations to prevent infectious and contagious diseases. This process is known as disinsection.
	Rules established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) require that disinsection does not injure or cause discomfort to passengers or crew. These rules permit the use of certain insecticides, which have the approval of and are recommended by the WHO, based on their efficacy and minimal human toxicity. The rules are binding on ICAO contracting states.
	Within Great Britain, the Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1979 lay down provisions intended to prevent infectious and contagious diseases. These provisions are enforced at airports by the local port health authority.
	All pesticides used for aircraft disinfection in Great Britain must be approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986.
	ICAO is looking into alternative methods of keeping mosquitoes and other insects out of the aircraft cabin. These methods include wind curtains at entrances and mechanical devices. If there is evidence to suggest alternative methods are more effective that the current methods, ICAO will consider a review of the disinsection process.

M5 (Junction 14)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons full traffic lights have been introduced at junction 14 on the M5; and what evidence his Department has collected of traffic flow problems at that junction.

Stephen Ladyman: Traffic lights were installed at junction 14 on the M5, due to the number of personal injury accidents as a result of turning movements to and from the B4509. All of these accidents occurred outside the morning peak period.
	Measurements of traffic flows on the north and south bound exit slip roads of the M5 were taken in both March and September 2005 and a full peak hour vehicle movement survey was undertaken in November 2005. The traffic lights are switched off between 7am and 9am. The implementation of full time traffic lights will only occur if the Highways Agency is confident that this will not result in significant queues.
	The junction will continue to be monitored for safety and operational reasons to identify whether further modifications are necessary to the phasing of the lights.

Northern Rail

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to reduce the annual subsidy given to Northern Rail.

Derek Twigg: There are no plans to reduce the annual subsidy given to Northern Rail.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice he has issued to his Department's executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: The Department has no special arrangements planned to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday.
	All staff are entitled to one day privilege leave every year during May to mark Her Majesty's birthday.
	The Department will fly the Union Jack on Her Majesty's birthday on 21 April and during the official celebration of Her Majesty's birthday on 17 June.

Road Improvements

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the additional 600 million announced on 15 February 2006 to be made available to help local authorities modernise and update their local roads.

Karen Buck: The deadline for the return of expressions of interest (Eois) in pathfinder schemes for highway maintenance schemes procured through the private finance initiative is 10 September 2006. We will then consider which local authorities should be invited to prepare an outline business case (OBC). It is anticipated that the time required to prepare an OBC for these schemes, which are likely to be complex, will be approximately a year. Each local authority is required to propose their own timetable for procurement with both their Eoi and OBC. These will be considered as part of the assessment process.

Transport Provision (Forest of Dean)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in the Department and (c) his Department's officials have had recent discussions regarding the development of the (i) rail and (ii) road network in Forest of Dean constituency.

Karen Buck: No recent discussions have been held on the development of rail and road network specifically in relation to the Forest of Dean. However, officials have held discussions recently with Gloucestershire county council in relation to the council's local transport plan for the period 200611.
	It is for Gloucestershire county council, the local transport authority, in consultation with members of the community, key stakeholders and partners (including Forest of Dean district council), to determine local transport priorities and the provision of services.

Travel to School

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children get to school by (i) walking, (ii) cycling, (iii) travelling by bus, (iv) travelling by car and (v) another method.

Karen Buck: Data from the National Travel Survey on the percentage of trips in 2004 made by children travelling to and from school by mode and age are given in the following table.
	
		Trips to and from school by main mode, 2004, Great Britain -- Percentage
		
			 Mode Age five to 10 Age 11 to 16 
		
		
			 Walk 50 44 
			 Cycle 1 3 
			 Local/private bus 7 29 
			 Car/van 41 22 
			 Other method 1 3

DEFENCE

Lisbon Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policies his Department has adopted to assist the United Kingdom's fulfilment of the Lisbon Agenda criteria.

John Reid: The Government strongly support the renewed Lisbon focus on jobs and growth as the best way to meet the challenges of globalisation and boost prosperity and living standards for all. The UK National Reform programme details the Government's policy response to these challenges. The Defence Industrial Strategy reflects our commitment to this. We expect the spring council in March to emphasise the importance of implementation of national commitments to reform.

QinetiQ

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors influenced the decision to sell the initial stake in QinetiQ in 2002 to Carlyle, as opposed to other major bidders.

John Reid: A range of factors were taken into account in the assessment of the bids, but the main criterion was value for money for the taxpayer. Carlyle offered the best combination price and a low level of equity holding in the company, as well as offering a strategy for value creation that was consistent with the Ministry of Defence's overall objectives for the public private partnership.

Royal Air Force

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) actual strength is of the Royal Air Force, broken down by trade.

Don Touhig: The establishment and actual trained strength of the Royal Air Force by trade as at 1 January 2006 is given in the following table:
	
		
			 RAF Trade Establishment Strength 
		
		
			 Eng Tech A 2,700 3,090 
			 Eng Tech P 1,490 1,900 
			 Eng Tech W 2,030 1,940 
			 A Tech (M) 1,760 1,730 
			 A Tech (AV) 1,300 1,590 
			 Trade Group 1 9,280 10,250 
			
			 Eng Tech AV 2,050 2,150 
			 Eng Tech AE 1,130 1,150 
			 Trade Group 2 3,170 3,290 
			
			 CIS 0 0 
			 Eng Tech EL 2,060 2,140 
			 TCC/TCO 1,160 1,180 
			 CIS AL Erect 130 150 
			 Trade Group 4 3,350 3,470 
			
			 Gen Tech E 640 610 
			 Gen Tech GSE 640 640 
			 Gen Tech WS 160 160 
			 Gen Tech (M) 140 130 
			 Trade Group 5 1,590 1,540 
			
			 MTD 1,260 1,230 
			 MT Tech/Mech 380 390 
			 Trade Group 6 1,650 1,620 
			
			 RAF Police 1,530 1,510 
			 Gunner 1,960 1,790 
			 Firefighter 640 600 
			 Trade Group 8 4,130 3,900 
			
			 ATC 1,400 1,280 
			 Trade Group 9 1,400 1,280 
			
			 RAF Admin 0 0 
			 RAF PTI 520 480 
			 Trade Group 10 520 480 
			
			 INT AN(C) 280 290 
			 INT AN(V) 220 230 
			 Trade Group 11 500 520 
			
			 ASMOP/SNCO FC 770 760 
			 Trade Group 12 770 760 
			 SE FITT 740 740 
			 PTR/FNR 350 340 
			 Trade Group 13 1,090 1,080 
			
			 Photographer 220 290 
			 INT AN(I) 420 400 
			 Air Cart 100 90 
			 Trade Group 14 740 780 
			
			 Staff Nurse (RMN) 25 35 
			 PH Tech 20 20 
			 EH Tech 35 40 
			 OT Tech 30 30 
			 Radiog 10 15 
			 Lab Tech 15 20 
			 Med Admin 360 360 
			 Med Asst 340 330 
			 Staff Nurse (RGN) 250 280 
			 Trade Group 15 1,110 1,110 
			
			 Dent Tech 20 20 
			 Dent Hyg 25 25 
			 Dent Admin/Nurse 140 150 
			 Trade Group 16 180 190 
			
			 Pers Admin 1,970 1,930 
			 Data/Stat An 0 0 
			 Trade Group 17 1,970 1,930 
			
			 Supplier 2,220 2,170 
			 Movs Cont/Op 890 920 
			 Trade Group 18 3,120 3,090 
			
			 Chef 640 750 
			 Cat Acct 90 120 
			 Mess Mgr/Std 540 500 
			 Trade Group 19 1,260 1,370 
			
			 Musician 170 150 
			 Trade Group 21 170 150 
			 Total 36,000 36,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures of 50 or more have been rounded to the nearest 10 with figures ending in five rounded to the nearest 20. Figures less than 50 have been rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Totals and subtotals have been rounded after summing so may not appear to be the sum of their constituent parts.

Spring

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Meteorological Office has changed the date on which spring is recognised as beginning.

Don Touhig: holding answer 3 March 2006
	The Met Office has not changed the date on which the start of spring is commonly defined and widely recognised. The Met Office definition of spring, unchanged for at least 90 years, agrees with the current first listed Oxford Dictionary definition. This is based on vegetation changes through the year.
	In meteorology the seasons are taken to be as follows: spring: March, April and May; summer: June, July and August; autumn: September, October and November; winter: December, January and February.

UKHO

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of potential conflicts of interest arising from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office's (UKHO) acquisition of SevenCs, with regard to (a) the market share accruing to UKHO as a result of the acquisition and (b) the impact of the UKHO's commercial distribution of marine data products on its statutory role in safeguarding life at sea.

Don Touhig: The acquisition has had no noticeable effect on the UKHO's share of the market for data used in marine navigation. No additional share of that market has accrued to the UKHO as a result of the acquisition. Therefore no potential conflict of interest is perceived as arising from the acquisition.
	The UKHO's commercial distribution of marine data products does not give rise to any conflict of interest in relation to safeguarding life at sea.

UKHO

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 514W, on SevenCs, if he will make a statement on the relationship between the UK Hydrographic Office's obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and its responsibility to ensure an open system.

Don Touhig: The UK's obligation under the convention is to make available data that meet the convention's carriage requirements, so enabling the mariner to comply with the regulations applicable to UK waters and to UK-flagged shipping. This is best achieved where open systems exist.

UKHO

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 514W, on SevenCs, what is his assessment of what the barriers to an open market in the digital navigational industry were prior to the acquisition of SevenCs by the UK Hydrographic Office.

Don Touhig: Prior to acquisition the route to market for digital navigational data was open, via the SevenCs software. The acquisition means that the UKHO can ensure that it remains so.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children in poverty (a) whose parents were in work and (b) whose resident parent was in work lived in (i) lone parent households and (ii) non-lone parent households in each year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: We recognise that work is the best way out of poverty for all families, including lone parent households. Our successful labour market policies have contributed to a lone parent employment rate of 56.6 per cent., a record high, up 11 percentage points since 1997.
	The seventh annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators. Significant progress has been made and since 1997 the number of children in relative low-income has fallen by 700,000 on an after housing costs basis and the number of children in workless households has fallen by 400,000. Detailed information about the number and proportion of children living in low income households is published in Households Below Average Income 1994/952003/04, available in the Library.
	Information is not available on the number and percentage of children whose parents are in work, because our data source does not collect sufficient information on non-resident parents.
	The number and composition of children living in low-income households where (i) the resident parent was in work and lived in a lone-parent household or (ii) the resident parent was in work and lived in a couple household or (iii) where no resident parent works, for incomes reported on the before housing costs and after housing costs measures of income are contained in the following tables:
	
		Table 1: Number and composition of children living in relative low income households, by household type. Before housing costs
		
			  (i) Children in lone parent low-income households where the resident parent works (ii) Children in couple low- income households where a resident parent works (iii) Children in low-income households where no resident parent works Total children in low income households 
			  Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage 
		
		
			 199697   3.2 100 
			 199798 0.2 7 1.3 41 1.6 52 3.1 100 
			 199899 0.2 7 1.3 41 1.6 52 3.1 100 
			 19992000 0.2 8 1.2 41 1.5 51 3.0 100 
			 200001 0.2 7 1.1 40 1.4 53 2.7 100 
			 200102 0.2 9 1.1 41 1.3 50 2.6 100 
			 200203 0.3 10 1.0 40 1.3 50 2.6 100 
			 200304 0.2 8 1.1 41 1.3 51 2.6 100 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number and composition of children living in relative low income households, by household type. After housing costs
		
			  (i) Children in lone parent low-income households where the resident parent works (ii) Children in couple low- income households where a resident parent works (iii) Children in low-income households where no resident parent works Total children in low income households 
			  Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage 
		
		
			 199697   4.2 100 
			 199798 0.3 8 1.6 38 2.2 53 4.1 100 
			 199899 0.4 10 1.6 38 2.1 52 4.1 100 
			 19992000 0.4 10 1.5 38 2.1 53 4.1 100 
			 200001 0.4 9 1.5 39 2.0 52 3.8 100 
			 200102 0.4 11 1.4 37 2.0 52 3.7 100 
			 200203 0.4 12 1.3 37 1.8 51 3.5 100 
			 200304 0.3 8 1.4 39 1.8 53 3.5 100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Relative low income here is defined using the below 60 per cent. of contemporary median low income threshold.
	2. A parent-child relationship here is a parent-son/daughter relationship which includes adopted children. It excludes step-children and foster children.
	3. A lone-parent household is defined here as one containing a single person with a dependent child (that is it includes households containing other individuals).
	4. Full information on inter-household relationships is only available from 199798.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey (FRS).

Carers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has given to Jobcentre Plus on the support they should offer to young carers.

Margaret Hodge: In the National Strategy for Carers, Caring About Carers, published in February 1999, the Government set out how we will support carers of working age to remain in work or to return to work when their caring responsibilities allow them to do so.
	Carers do face additional barriers to workin particular the need for and cost of alternative care arrangements during their working hours. Carers may also have been out of the labour market for long periods of time with the loss of confidence and lack of relevant skills that can entail.
	The Department for Education and Skills supports carers who are under the age of 18, enabling them to benefit from health care, social care and education. The Connexions Service plays an important role by providing a network of personal advisers who are able to provide advice and support to these young people, as well as putting them in touch with appropriate specialist and support services.
	DWP provides a similar service through Jobcentre Plus to support those on working-age benefits. Carers have access to a Personal Adviser who will give them advice on jobsearch techniques and vocational training opportunities, whether they are still caring or their caring responsibilities have come to an end.

Post Office Card Accounts

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have used the Post Office card account (POCA) in each year since it was introduced; how much the Post Office receives for each POCA payment it makes; and what other administrative costs the Government pay in respect of each POCA transaction.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Post Office card account service was introduced in April 2003.
	The following table shows the number of Post Office card accounts in use since it was introduced.
	
		
			  Date Number of Post Office card accounts in use 
		
		
			 March 2004 834,773 
			 March 2005 4,183,666 
			 December 2005 4,270,412 
		
	
	In addition to accounts used by my Department these figures include Post Office card accounts used by the Northern Ireland Social Security agency, the Veterans Agency (Ministry of Defence) and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
	The annual cost to the Department of the Post Office card account for the first three years from April 2003 averaged 173 million.
	Currently the average cost to my Department of making a payment into a Post Office card account is approximately 1.

Teenager Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those aged 16 to 19 years are living in poverty; what research he has conducted on levels in other EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The seventh annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators.
	Detailed information about the number and proportion of children living in low income households is published in Households Below Average Income 1994/952003/04, available in the Library. The report includes comparisons of incomes against low income thresholds, such as the commonly used relative low income threshold of 60 per cent. of contemporary median income.
	The following table shows the proportion of those aged 1619 years in Great Britain living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of median in 200304.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Type of 16 to 19-year-olds Before housing costs After housing costs 
		
		
			 Dependent children(1) 19 23 
			 Adults(2) 21 28 
			 All 16 to 19-year-olds 20 26 
		
	
	(1) Dependent children are those 16 to 19-year-olds treated as the responsibility of an adult.
	(2) Adults are here defined as those 16 to 19-year-olds who are living independently of any responsible adult.
	We take very seriously the problem of poverty and under-achievement within this group, particularly those who are not in employment, education or training (the NEET group). One of the characteristics of this group is the volatility of their circumstances which makes estimating numbers difficult. But our research into the problems faced by 16 and 17-year-old gives an estimated UK figure of 150,000 or 1 in 8 of the age group as NEET at any one time.
	This Department has not carried out any comparative research on poverty levels among 16 to 19-year-olds in EU countries. However, together with Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury, we have conducted a review of financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds. We have commissioned research into the support systems available in OECD counties. This found that most OECD countries have complex and often fragmented systems of financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds. The exception is Australia which has developed a unitary, large-scale system aimed at increasing the participation of young people in education, training and employment.
	As a result of our work we have introduced measures that come into force in April 2006, including the extension of financial support beyond the age of 19 to enable young people to complete their courses.

Unemployment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) people aged 25 to 49 years, (b) women aged 50 to 59 years and (c) men aged 50 to 64 years have been unemployed for more than 18 months in each month in each year since 1992.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 10 March 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about duration of unemployment. I am replying in her absence. (56968)
	Information relating to unemployment for 18 months and over is not readily available. However, I am placing in the House of Commons Library a table giving estimates of the number of people resident in the United Kingdom who were unemployed for 2 years or more. It covers people aged 25 to 49 years; women aged 50 to 59 years; and men aged 50 to 64 years, in each month from 1992 to 2005.
	These seasonally adjusted estimates from Labour Force Survey (LFS) are, as with any sample survey, subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		Unemployed for two years or more by age:United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted -- Thousands
		
			  Duration of unemployment for two years or more 
			 Three months ending Unemployed aged 25 to working age(3) Unemployed aged 2549 Unemployed Women aged 5059 Unemployed Men aged 5064 
		
		
			 1992 May 376 258 22 97 
			 1992 June 388 263 21 105 
			 1992 July 410 275 21 114 
			 1992 August 417 280 22 114 
			 1992 September 421 284 23 114 
			 1992 October 438 299 23 116 
			 1992 November 460 318 26 116 
			 1992 December 479 330 28 121 
			 1993 January 491 342 30 119 
			 1993 February 497 350 30 117 
			 1993 March 505 354 28 123 
			 1993 April 507 358 30 119 
			 1993 May 510 357 31 121 
			 1993 June 517 367 33 118 
			 1993 July 527 371 35 122 
			 1993 August 531 372 35 123 
			 1993 September 543 383 34 126 
			 1993 October 549 386 35 127 
			 1993 November 558 393 34 130 
			 1993 December 572 405 33 134 
			 1994 January 586 412 37 137 
			 1994 February 582 409 37 137 
			 1994 March 584 408 38 138 
			 1994 April 589 412 36 141 
			 1994 May 594 415 36 143 
			 1994 June 596 417 34 144 
			 1994 July 589 419 32 138 
			 1994 August 597 429 33 136 
			 1994 September 586 417 35 134 
			 1994 October 579 414 34 131 
			 1994 November 580 413 34 134 
			 1994 December 561 402 33 126 
			 1995 January 558 399 33 126 
			 1995 February 564 404 32 128 
			 1995 March 577 413 33 131 
			 1995 April 569 410 33 126 
			 1995 May 557 405 30 122 
			 1995 June 550 401 30 118 
			 1995 July 545 396 27 122 
			 1995 August 544 389 30 126 
			 1995 September 559 397 32 130 
			 1995 October 553 393 32 129 
			 1995 November 530 377 29 124 
			 1995 December 505 357 25 123 
			 1996 January 512 364 25 122 
			 1996 February 511 364 25 122 
			 1996 March 496 355 25 116 
			 1996 April 496 354 24 118 
			 1996 May 489 348 25 116 
			 1996 June 497 353 27 117 
			 1996 July 486 338 29 119 
			 1996 August 482 333 32 118 
			 1996 September 476 328 29 119 
			 1996 October 474 330 28 116 
			 1996 November 466 323 28 115 
			 1996 December 471 325 29 117 
			 1997 January 462 322 28 112 
			 1997 February 447 310 27 111 
			 1997 March 424 293 25 106 
			 1997 April 420 289 27 105 
			 1997 May 418 286 27 105 
			 1997 June 411 284 25 102 
			 1997 July 402 278 23 101 
			 1997 August 373 258 22 92 
			 1997 September 353 242 21 90 
			 1997 October 343 231 21 91 
			 1997 November 343 232 20 92 
			 1997 December 326 222 21 83 
			 1998 January 317 217 20 80 
			 1998 February 305 211 21 72 
			 1998 March 309 208 20 81 
			 1998 April 306 203 20 82 
			 1998 May 311 205 22 84 
			 1998 June 304 202 22 79 
			 1998 July 298 201 21 77 
			 1998 August 291 195 18 78 
			 1998 September 286 196 15 74 
			 1998 October 284 194 15 74 
			 1998 November 283 189 20 74 
			 1998 December 283 188 21 74 
			 1999 January 283 185 21 77 
			 1999 February 280 181 22 76 
			 1999 March 276 180 21 75 
			 1999 April 274 177 20 76 
			 1999 May 264 170 19 76 
			 1999 June 259 165 18 75 
			 1999 July 257 168 18 71 
			 1999 August 260 170 20 70 
			 1999 September 256 170 17 69 
			 1999 October 251 171 18 63 
			 1999 November 249 169 17 64 
			 1999 December 244 165 15 65 
			 2000 January 249 167 15 67 
			 2000 February 243 171 13 59 
			 2000 March 233 157 15 61 
			 2000 April 222 150 13 58 
			 2000 May 213 141 14 58 
			 2000 June 218 145 15 57 
			 2000 July .209 139 13 57 
			 2000 August 203 134 12 57 
			 2000 September 202 133 12 57 
			 2000 October 201 133 12 56 
			 2000 November 201 132 13 56 
			 2000 December 197 131 12 54 
			 2001 January 195 130 11 54 
			 2001 February 197 137 11 50 
			 2001 March 191 133 10 47 
			 2001 April 191 136 10 45 
			 2001 May 189 136 9 44 
			 2001 June 189 137 9 44 
			 2001 July 185 134 9 43 
			 2001 August 185 130 10 44 
			 2001 September 184 127 11 45 
			 2001 October 179 123 10 47 
			 2001 November 169 119 8 42 
			 2001 December 166 117 9 41 
			 2002 January 166 116 9 41 
			 2002 February 165 113 11 41 
			 2002 March 157 107 10 41 
			 2002 April 160 107 12 41 
			 2002 May 160 108 12 41 
			 2002 June 158 105 11 41 
			 2002 July 158 106 12 41 
			 2002 August 157 101 11 45 
			 2002 September 151 97 11 43 
			 2002 October 149 97 10 42 
			 2002 November 144 93 11 40 
			 2002 December 139 87 12 39 
			 2003 January 130 80 11 39 
			 2003 February 132 81 8 42 
			 2003 March 137 88 8 41 
			 2003 April 134 87 8 39 
			 2003 May 130 85 8 37 
			 2003 June 122 79 7 36 
			 2003 July 129 83 9 37 
			 2003 August 132 88 10 34 
			 2003 September 133 90 10 33 
			 2003 October 130 87 8 35 
			 2003 November 130 85 8 38 
			 2003 December 132 86 7 39 
			 2004 January 127 85 7 35 
			 2004 February 122 81 8 33 
			 2004 March 115 74 8 33 
			 2004 April 119 76 10 33 
			 2004 May 113 72 9 33 
			 2004 June 112 73 8 31 
			 2004 July 106 68 6 31 
			 2004 August 103 66 7 31 
			 2004 September 102 64 8 30 
			 2004 October 104 65 9 30 
			 2004 November 111 72 10 30 
			 2004 December 111 71 10 31 
			 2005 January 111 70 11 29 
			 2005 February 115 74 11 30 
			 2005 March 110 68 11 31 
			 2005 April 106 65 10 31 
			 2005 May 108 67 10 32 
			 2005 June 111 66 11 34 
			 2005 July 111 66 11 34 
			 2005 August 108 61 11 36 
			 2005 September 103 59 9 35 
			 2005 October 111 64 10 38 
			 2005 November 119 69 10 41 
			 2005 December 122 71 11 40 
		
	
	(3) Men aged up to 64 and women aged up to 59.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cetaceans

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources have been deployed by her Department during the last three years to assess, monitor and measure the (a) level and (b) cause of cetacean strandings on the western approaches; and to which institutions.

Ben Bradshaw: Strandings data is obtained under the DEFRA-funded UK Cetacean and Turtle Strandings Scheme. The scheme is co-ordinated by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Institute of Zoology, the Scottish Agricultural College and Marine Environmental Monitoring. Over the past three years, DEFRA has provided total funding of 1,296,322 to these organisations to carry out this scheme across the UK.
	During this period, DEFRA has also commissioned an associated research project investigating anthropogenic acoustic damage to cetaceans in UK waters, through the detailed examination of the auditory apparatus of stranded or by-caught cetaceans. To date, DEFRA has provided the Institute of Zoology with total funding of 25,000 to undertake this work.

Fisheries

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many of the UK vessels using bottom set gillnets and tangle nets in ICES areas VII e, f, g, h and j that are required to use acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) as of 1 January to prevent the deaths of harbour porpoises and other cetaceans (a) are complying with this requirement by using pingers and (b) are not using pingers; how much netting effort this represents in each case; and what measures she has in place (i) to enforce compliance and (ii) to assess the efficacy of this measure in preventing the incidental capture of porpoises;
	(2)  what measures she plans to put in place to (a) ensure that UK fishing vessels using bottom set gillnet or entangling net in ICES areas VII e, f, g, h and j comply with the requirement to use accoustic deterrent devices from 1 January 2006 under Regulation (EC) No. 812/2004 and (b) assess the efficacy of this measure in preventing the incidental capture of harbour porpoises;
	(3)  what steps are being taken to prevent the deaths of harbour porpoises and other cetaceans in UK gillnet and tangle net fisheries in the Western Channel and Celtic sea caused by vessels which fail to use acoustic deterrent devices from 1 January 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answers 2 March 2006
	The Seafish Industry Authority (Seafish) has produced a report on the efficacy, costs and availability of pingers. My officials are in active discussions with the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, Seafish and the pinger manufacturers to address the issues raised in the report and are undertaking final trials to establish the most suitable device. Further, the European Commission, responding to a paper submitted by the Irish Government, are holding a meeting of technical experts from affected member states to consider the Seafish report and others from France and Ireland which reached similar conclusions.
	This will mean that there will be delay in implementing the obligations of the regulation. I consider, however, that it is important that we are sure that the devices to be used are both effective for the industry and offer maximum protection to porpoises.

Landfill

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of capacity in landfill sites in England has been used in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Land raising, settlement and variations in density of the materials deposited, together with re-use of old areas within sites means that information is not usefully recorded in the form requested. Estimates in cubic metres of the remaining capacity of all licensed landfill sites were published in 1999 by the Environment Agency as Strategic Waste Management Assessment reports covering the nine planning regions of England. These showed an estimated remaining landfill capacity in England in excess of 27 billion (thousand million) cubic metres.

Recycling (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets her Department has put in place to encourage Herefordshire council to recycle (a) domestic waste and (b) commercial waste.

Ben Bradshaw: All local authorities in England have been set a statutory recycling/composting target for municipal waste. Herefordshire council's target for 200506 is 21 per cent. These targets were reviewed and consulted on in 2005. The responses are currently undergoing analysis and a decision on future targets will be made on completion of that process.
	To date local authorities have not been set recycling targets for commercial waste.
	As an authority with waste disposal duties Herefordshire council has also been set a landfill allowance for the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) it sends to landfill. These allowances are designed to ensure England fulfils its obligation under the EU landfill directive to reduce the amount of BMW sent to landfill to 75 per cent. of the 1995 level produced by 2010, 50 per cent. by 2013 and 35 per cent. by 2020.
	The allowance for each local authority is based on the amount of BMW it sent to landfill in 200102 and is driving local authorities to recycle/compost as much of this material as possible. The allowance for all waste disposal authorities for each year until 2020 is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://lats.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu= registerModule=publicRegister/wdaRegister

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what timetable he has set for the implementation of the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Commission for Africa.

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa Report set out a wide range of recommendations for African countries and their donor partners. Each recommendation has its own timetable. This is reflected in the detailed report on what the UK has been doing to take forward the Commission's recommendations and make sure that the G8's commitments are implemented which has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today. It is vital that we all deliver on the promises of 2005.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that the recommendations of the Commission for Africa are fully implemented.

Hilary Benn: As recommended by the report of the Commission for Africa, we are supporting the development of effective monitoring. As the UK, the Government have already published a Gleneagles Plan of Implementation setting out the milestones we need to meet to stay on track for delivery of the overall G8 package agreed last year which encompassed many Commission for Africa recommendations. This has been placed in the Library of both Houses and is updated regularly.
	The UK Government have regular meetings at ministerial level to monitor implementation of CFA and G8 commitments. At the international level, the Africa Partnership Forum will be tracking delivery on the basis of a Joint Action Plan, which brings together the commitments of Africa and her development partners for the first time.
	One year on from the launch of the Commission's report, and eight months after the Gleneagles Summit, this is a good time to take stock of progress. I am depositing in the Libraries of both Houses today a detailed report on what the UK has been doing to take forward the Commission's recommendations and to make sure that the G8's commitments are implemented.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation by the Commission for Africa on the use of assessments of how to reduce the risk of violent conflict and improve human security in formulating country and regional assistance strategies.

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa Report set out a wide range of recommendations for African countries and its donor partners. Each recommendation has its own timetable. This is reflected in the detailed report on what the UK has been doing to take forward the Commission's recommendations and make sure that the G8's commitments are implemented, which has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.
	Specific examples of DFID's work on improving and increasing the use of conflict assessments include:
	Much of the UK's conflict work in Africa is carried out through the interdepartmental (DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence) Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP). Over the past few months, the ACPP has commissioned work on baseline conflict trends in Africa, this gives a much clearer picture of conflict across the continent and will be used to inform and revise sub-regional strategies for the ACPP and other UK government activities.
	DFID's own Security and Development paper also recommended that country programmes should undertake more conflict assessments. Following on from this, DFID has recently undertaken a review of the use of Strategic Conflict Assessments throughout our country programmes. The report concludes with a range of recommendations to increase the use and improve the quality of conflict assessments among DFID country programmes and to mainstream these.
	DFID has previously undertaken or supported conflict assessments, as part of the development of country assistance strategies, in Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Angola, Uganda and, more recently, in Somalia.

TREASURY

Departmental Telephone Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone in each year;
	(2)  when he expects to answer question reference 23294 tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

Dawn Primarolo: I very much regret that I have not been able to let the hon. Gentleman have an earlier reply.
	The number of contact centres operated by HM Revenue and Customs and the two predecessor departments (Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise) in each relevant year are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  HM Customs and Excise Inland Revenue HM Revenue and Customs 
		
		
			 200304 (as at 5 April 2004) 6 21 None 
			 200405 (as at 5 April 2005) 6 22 None 
			 200506 (as at 1 March 2006) None None 28 
		
	
	Within the limitations of underlying data systems, HM Revenue and Customs best available estimates of call volumes for each relevant year are shown in the following table:
	
		All figures in millions rounded to nearest 100 thousand
		
			  200304 200405 200506 (to 31 December 2006) 
		
		
			 Calls handled(4) 35.3 48.7 42 
			 Calls received but abandoned(5) 6.1 2.7 3.3 
			 Calls encountering an engaged tone(6) 25.4 31 63 
		
	
	(4) Where the caller spoke to an adviser.
	(5) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser.
	(6) Call attempts where the caller was played an engaged tone.

Correspondence

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Secretary will reply to the letter of 23 December 2005 from the hon. Member for North-West Leicestershire on the classification and use of reprocessed fuel oils.

John Healey: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Economic Secretary will reply to the letter of 15 December 2005 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (PO Ref: 5/00563/2005).

Ivan Lewis: I have replied to the hon. Member and very much regret not having been in a position to do so earlier.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (HMT Ref: 3385N 05/06).

Dawn Primarolo: I have asked Sir David Varney to reply to the hon. Member and he has done so today.

Electoral Registration

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which 100 electoral wards have the lowest registration levels;
	(2)  how many electoral wards in the UK have registration levels below 80 per cent.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 10 March 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions concerning the number of electoral wards in the UK which have registration levels below 80 per cent. and the 100 electoral wards which have the lowest registration levels. I am replying in her absence. (57735  57736)
	Data for Scotland are not available, and therefore this response reflects England, Wales and Northern Ireland only. Using the most recent electoral data for which estimates of the population aged 18 and above are available in order to calculate the registration rate, the number of electoral wards with a registration rate below 80 per cent. is 257. This represents 2.7 per cent. of the 9,421 wards in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland for which electoral registration rates have been calculated. I am placing in the House of Commons library a table listing the 100 electoral wards which have the lowest registration rates in ascending order.
	It should be borne in mind that the percentage of the resident population who are registered to vote does not provide a reliable estimate of the registration rate of the eligible population. This is mainly because there are definitional differences between usually resident and eligibility to vote and therefore the estimated resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote. For example, the resident population includes all those who usually live in an area irrespective of nationality, whereas the parliamentary electorate excludes foreign nationals (but Commonwealth and Irish citizens are included) and may include some overseas electors who do not currently live in the area. Further, there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate. This can occur for a number of reasons. People who have more than one address, including students, may register in more than one place. Electoral registration officers may vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died.
	For England and Wales, the closest available geography to current electoral wards, for which population estimates are available, is Census Area Statistics (CAS) wards. This geography was created for outputs from the 2001 Census and is based mainly on 2003 electoral wards.
	The electorate counts are on electoral ward boundaries and so it has been necessary to convert these to the CAS ward geography.
	The England and Wales ward registration rates have been calculated using December 2002 parliamentary electors, including attainers and the latest available ward population estimates which are for mid-2002. The parliamentary electorate has been used rather than the local government electorate, even though the latter is definitionally closer to the resident population, because the local government electorate is not available at ward level.
	The registration rates are based on population estimates that are subject to a margin of confidence, which is proportionately larger for ward level estimates than for local authority estimates. The CAS ward population estimates have been published with the status of experimental statistics. Therefore, the registration rates derived from them, should be treated with some care.
	Where there are large differences between the electorate counts and population aged 18 and over, these cases may be attributable to: definitional differences between the estimates and electoral counts; the margin of confidence in the ward estimates; the accuracy of the electoral registers; and limitations in the methodology used to convert electoral counts to the CAS ward geography.
	The Northern Ireland registration rates have been calculated using the December 2001 electorate (which reflects those resident and eligible to vote in October 2001), and the latest available ward population data which are from the 2001 Census, taken on 29 April 2001. The ward electorate counts include all those registered to vote in any election. These counts do not exclude foreign nationals but do include overseas electors.
	
		England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Electoral wards with the lowest derived registration rates, December 2001 or December 2002 electorate
		
			 Ward name Parliamentary constituency Country Electorate Population 18 plus 
		
		
			 Eriswell and The Rows West Suffolk England 2,956 7,457 
			 Botanic Belfast South Northern Ireland 3,582 8538 
			 Windsor Belfast South Northern Ireland 2,918 6587 
			 Queen's Gate Kensington and Chelsea England 4,206 9,126 
			 Aldergrove South Antrim Northern Ireland 1,847 3974 
			 Scotton Richmond (Yorks) England 1,608 3,453 
			 Llanbadarn FawrPadarn Ceredigion Wales 500 1,057 
			 Stoneleigh Rugby and Kenilworth England 1,258 2,620 
			 The Lower Tarrants North Dorset England 1,270 2,609 
			 Lancaster Gate Cities of London and Westminster England 5,811 11,835 
			 Pirbright Woking England 1,858 3,667 
			 Staining and Weeton Fylde England 1,314 2,553 
			 Earl's Court Kensington and Chelsea England 4,673 9,000 
			 Courtfield Kensington and Chelsea England 4,596 8,845 
			 Knightsbridge and Belgravia Cities of London and Westminster England 5,251 10,103 
			 Hipswell Richmond (Yorks) England 1,877 3,588 
			 Bryanston and Dorset Square(7) Cities of London and Westminster (part) England 5,902 11,266 
			  Regent's Park and North Kensington (part)
			 Hyde Park Cities of London and Westminster England 5,615 10,487 
			 Scottow North Norfolk England 1,460 2,678 
			 Stranmillis Belfast South Northern Ireland 3,562 6530 
			 Aberystwyth Bronglais Ceredigion Wales 1,011 1,852 
			 Abingdon Kensington and Chelsea England 4,431 8,095 
			 Brompton Kensington and Chelsea England 4,627 8,415 
			 Hans Town Kensington and Chelsea England 4,743 8,480 
			 St. James's Cities of London and Westminster England 5,719 10,222 
			 Loughview North Down Northern Ireland 1,856 3276 
			 Holland Kensington and Chelsea England 4,768 8,380 
			 Llanbadarn FawrSulien Ceredigion Wales 874 1,528 
			 Regent's Park Regent's Park and North Kensington England 6,269 10,909 
			 Aberystwyth Canol/Central Ceredigion Wales 1,238 2,133 
			 Parkhurst Isle of Wight England 2,137 3,680 
			 Campden Kensington and Chelsea England 4,206 7,236 
			 Brize Norton and Shilton Witney England 1,501 2,569 
			 Cremorne Kensington and Chelsea England 4,688 8,000 
			 West End Cities of London and Westminster England 5,565 9,305 
			 Crane North Dorset England 1,016 1,696 
			 Boarhunt and Southwick Winchester England 968 1,604 
			 Treforest Pontypridd Wales 2,661 4,376 
			 Donington and Albrighton North The Wrekin England 2,667 4,370 
			 Pembridge Kensington and Chelsea England 4,532 7,425 
			 Ballycrochan North Down Northern Ireland 2,122 3471 
			 Redcliffe Kensington and Chelsea England 4,845 7,904 
			 Marylebone High Street Cities of London and Westminster England 5,707 9,165 
			 Aberystwyth Rheidol Ceredigion Wales 1,462 2,339 
			 Wallace Park Lagan Valley Northern Ireland 2,094 3345 
			 Stanley Kensington and Chelsea England 4,253 6,791 
			 Lisanelly West Tyrone Northern Ireland 1,323 2096 
			 Ebrington Foyle Northern Ireland 1,757 2741 
			 Aberystwyth Gogledd/North Ceredigion Wales 1,183 1,840 
			 Wellington Aldershot England 4,315 6,710 
			 Greetham Rutland and Melton England 944 1,460 
			 Church Street Regent's Park and North Kensington England 5,969 9,064 
			 Barkham Wokingham England 2,331 3,539 
			 Startforth Bishop Auckland England 755 1,135 
			 Lydford Torridge and West Devon England 1,127 1,693 
			 River(7) Gillingham (part) England 4,069 6,108 
			  Medway (part)
			 Maida Vale Regent's Park and North Kensington England 6,075 9,118 
			 Vincent Square Cities of London and Westminster England 5,397 8,100 
			 Bulford Salisbury England 2,776 4,154 
			 Faenor Ceredigion Wales 1,416 2,117 
			 Tachbrook Cities of London and Westminster England 5,581 8,328 
			 Haverigg Copeland England 1,058 1,576 
			 Royal Hospital Kensington and Chelsea England 4,645 6,904 
			 Tardebigge Bromsgrove England 1,744 2,589 
			 Lampeter Ceredigion Wales 1,670 2,479 
			 Arboretum(7) Nottingham East (part) England 6,013 8,925 
			  Nottingham South (part)
			 Golborne Regent's Park and North Kensington England 4,741 7,033 
			 Gresteel East Londonderry Northern Ireland 1,741 2581 
			 Abbey Road Regent's Park and North Kensington England 5,922 8,778 
			 College Park and Old Oak Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush England 4,381 6,490 
			 Willesden Green(7) Brent East (part) England 7,164 10,528 
			  Brent South (part)
			 North End Hammersmith and Fulham England 6,894 10,131 
			 Newnham Cambridge England 4,827 7,088 
			 Tidworth, Perham Down and Ludgershall South Devizes England 4,317 6,337 
			 Parkfield Stockton South England 3,157 4,623 
			 Strand Foyle Northern Ireland 2,069 3028 
			 Sutton(7) Bassetlaw (part) England 1,609 2,346 
			  Newark (part)
			 Avonmore and Brook Green Hammersmith and Fulham England 7,066 10,248 
			 Coity Bridgend Wales 856 1,241 
			 Withersfield West Suffolk England 1,572 2,278 
			 Warwick Cities of London and Westminster England 5,735 8,270 
			 Templar South West Norfolk England 1,748 2,520 
			 Pakenham(7) Bury St. Edmunds (part) England 1,645 2,356 
			  West Suffolk (part)
			 Dunkirk and Lenton Nottingham South England 6,811 9,659 
			 Hatfield West Welwyn Hatfield England 4,176 5,919 
			 Long Sutton North East Hampshire England 1,748 2,475 
			 University Preston England 2,165 3,063 
			 South Richmond Richmond Park England 6,440 9,108 
			 Norland(7) Kensington and Chelsea (part) England 5,231 7,372 
			  Regent's Park and North Kensington (part)
			 Ballymagee North Down Northern Ireland 1,924 2708 
			 Cathedrals North Southwark and Bermondsey England 7,932 11,131 
			 Strand East Londonderry Northern Ireland 1,656 2319 
			 Chevington Berwick-upon-Tweed England 1,843 2,580 
			 Brunswick Warwick and Leamington England 5,545 7,762 
			 West City Tyne Bridge England 4,709 6,577 
			 Marcham and Shippon(7) Oxford West and Abingdon (part) England 2,153 3,003 
			  Wantage (part)
			 Ballynafeigh Belfast South Northern Ireland 3,129 4363 
			 Elswick Tyne Bridge England 4,933 6,878 
			 Frognal and Fitzjohns Hampstead and Highgate England 7,233 10,084 
			 King's Cross Holborn and St. Pancras England 6,946 9,676 
		
	
	
		
			  Ward name  Parliamentary constituency  Country Registration rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 Eriswell and The Rows West Suffolk England 39.6 
			 Botanic Belfast South Northern Ireland 42.0 
			 Windsor Belfast South Northern Ireland 44.3 
			 Queen's Gate Kensington and Chelsea England 46.1 
			 Aldergrove South Antrim Northern Ireland 46.5 
			 Scotton Richmond (Yorks) England 46.6 
			 Llanbadarn FawrPadarn Ceredigion Wales 47.3 
			 Stoneleigh Rugby and Kenilworth England 48.0 
			 The Lower Tarrants North Dorset England 48.7 
			 Lancaster Gate Cities of London and Westminster England 49.1 
			 Pirbright Woking England 50.7 
			 Staining and Weeton Fylde England 51.5 
			 Earl's Court Kensington and Chelsea England 51.9 
			 Courtfield Kensington and Chelsea England 52.0 
			 Knightsbridge and Belgravia Cities of London and Westminster England 52.0 
			 Hipswell Richmond (Yorks) England 52.3 
			 Bryanston and Dorset Square(7) Cities of London and Westminster (part) England 52.4 
			  Regent's Park and North Kensington (part)   
			 Hyde Park Cities of London and Westminster England 53.5 
			 Scottow North Norfolk England 54.5 
			 Stranmillis Belfast South Northern Ireland 54.5 
			 Aberystwyth Bronglais Ceredigion Wales 54.6 
			 Abingdon Kensington and Chelsea England 54.7 
			 Brompton Kensington and Chelsea England 55.0 
			 Hans Town Kensington and Chelsea England 55.9 
			 St. James's Cities of London and Westminster England 55.9 
			 Loughview North Down Northern Ireland 56.7 
			 Holland Kensington and Chelsea England 56.9 
			 Llanbadarn FawrSulien Ceredigion Wales 57.2 
			 Regent's Park Regent's Park and North Kensington England 57.5 
			 Aberystwyth Canol/Central Ceredigion Wales 58.0 
			 Parkhurst Isle of Wight England 58.1 
			 Campden Kensington and Chelsea England 58.1 
			 Brize Norton and Shilton Witney England 58.4 
			 Cremorne Kensington and Chelsea England 58.6 
			 West End Cities of London and Westminster England 59.8 
			 Crane North Dorset England 59.9 
			 Boarhunt and Southwick Winchester England 60.3 
			 Treforest Pontypridd Wales 60.8 
			 Donington and Albrighton North The Wrekin England 61.0 
			 Pembridge Kensington and Chelsea England 61.0 
			 Ballycrochan North Down Northern Ireland 61.1 
			 Redcliffe Kensington and Chelsea England 61.3 
			 Marylebone High Street Cities of London and Westminster England 62.3 
			 Aberystwyth Rheidol Ceredigion Wales 62.5 
			 Wallace Park Lagan Valley Northern Ireland 62.6 
			 Stanley Kensington and Chelsea England 62.6 
			 Lisanelly West Tyrone Northern Ireland 63.1 
			 Ebrington Foyle Northern Ireland 64.1 
			 Aberystwyth Gogledd/North Ceredigion Wales 64.3 
			 Wellington Aldershot England 64.3 
			 Greetham Rutland and Melton England 64.7 
			 Church Street Regent's Park and North Kensington England 65.9 
			 Barkham Wokingham England 65.9 
			 Startforth Bishop Auckland England 66.5 
			 Lydford Torridge and West Devon England 66.6 
			 River(7) Gillingham (part) England 66.6 
			  Medway (part)   
			 Maida Vale Regent's Park and North Kensington England 66.6 
			 Vincent Square Cities of London and Westminster England 66.6 
			 Bulford Salisbury England 66.8 
			 Faenor Ceredigion Wales 66.9 
			 Tachbrook Cities of London and Westminster England 67.0 
			 Haverigg Copeland England 67.1 
			 Royal Hospital Kensington and Chelsea England 67.3 
			 Tardebigge Bromsgrove England 67.4 
			 Lampeter Ceredigion Wales 67.4 
			 Arboretum(7) Nottingham East (part) England 67.4 
			  Nottingham South (part)   
			 Golborne Regent's Park and North Kensington England 67.4 
			 Gresteel East Londonderry Northern Ireland 67.5 
			 Abbey Road Regent's Park and North Kensington England 67.5 
			 College Park and Old Oak Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush England 67.5 
			 Willesden Green(7) Brent East (part) England 68.0 
			  Brent South (part)   
			 North End Hammersmith and Fulham England 68.0 
			 Newnham Cambridge England 68.1 
			 Tidworth, Perham Down and Ludgershall South Devizes England 68.1 
			 Parkfield Stockton South England 68.3 
			 Strand Foyle Northern Ireland 68.3 
			 Sutton(7) Bassetlaw (part) England 68.6 
			  Newark (part)   
			 Avonmore and Brook Green Hammersmith and Fulham England 69.0 
			 Coity Bridgend Wales 69.0 
			 Withersfield West Suffolk England 69.0 
			 Warwick Cities of London and Westminster England 69.3 
			 Templar South West Norfolk England 69.4 
			 Pakenham(7) Bury St. Edmunds (part) England 69.8 
			  West Suffolk (part)   
			 Dunkirk and Lenton Nottingham South England 70.5 
			 Hatfield West Welwyn Hatfield England 70.6 
			 Long Sutton North East Hampshire England 70.6 
			 University Preston England 70.7 
			 South Richmond Richmond Park England 70.7 
			 Norland(7) Kensington and Chelsea (part) England 71.0 
			  Regent's Park and North Kensington (part)   
			 Ballymagee North Down Northern Ireland 71.0 
			 Cathedrals North Southwark and Bermondsey England 71.3 
			 Strand East Londonderry Northern Ireland 71.4 
			 Chevington Berwick-upon-Tweed England 71.4 
			 Brunswick Warwick and Leamington England 71.4 
			 West City Tyne Bridge England 71.6 
			 Marcham and Shippon(7) Oxford West and Abingdon (part) England 71.7 
			  Wantage (part)   
			 Ballynafeigh Belfast South Northern Ireland 71.7 
			 Elswick Tyne Bridge England 71.7 
			 Frognal and Fitzjohns Hampstead and Highgate England 71.7 
			 King's Cross Holborn and St. Pancras England 71.8 
		
	
	(7) Wards which fall within two parliamentary constituencies.
	Notes:
	1. For England and Wales the registration rates are based on December 2002 electorate counts and mid-2002 population estimates.
	2. For Northern Ireland the registration rates are based on December 2001 electorate counts and the 2001 Census population.
	3. Data for Scotland are not available.
	4. For England and Wales the electorate counts are not necessarily consistent with the statutory RPF 29 returns, due to the need for population estimation purposes to convert historic electorate counts on different ward geographies onto a consistent ward geography i.e. Census Area Statistics ward geography. Missing electorate data have been imputed.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Iraq

John MacDougall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to public funds of the Iraq war.

Des Browne: The net additional costs of operations in Iraq to 31 March 2005, as recorded in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Reports and Accounts, total 3,068 million as follows:
	
		 million
		
			 Financial year Amount 
		
		
			 200203 847 
			 200304 1,311 
			 200405 910 
		
	
	Estimated annual costs for operations in Iraq of 1,098 million in 200506 were included in the MoD's Spring Supplementary Estimate. Final figures will be published by the MoD in their Annual Report and Accounts for 200506 following audit by the NAO.

Pensions

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely impact on private pension savings of the taxation changes which will come into force in April 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The Finance Act 2004 introduces, from 6 April 2006, a radical simplification of the pension tax rules that will sweep away the complexity in the current rules and introduce greater choice, flexibility, transparency, clarity and cost-efficiency. This should benefit the vast majority of those who save for a private pension.
	The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) of April 2004 Simplifying the Taxation of Pensions (ww.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/simplifying-pensions.pdf) and the annex to that RIA of March 2005 (www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/simplifying-pensions-appendix.pdf) set out the Government's assessment of the impact of the new rules including the plans to evaluate their effects on changes on private pension saving.

Population Statistics

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the assumptions underlying the Office for National Statistics' population projections.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 10 March 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what assessment has been made of the assumptions underlying the Office for National Statistics' population projections. I am replying in her absence. (57392).
	An analysis of the accuracy of the national population projections made between 1971 and 1989 was published in the autumn 1994 edition of Population Trends (issue 77, Accuracy and uncertainty of the national population projections for the United Kingdom). This analysis was carried out following the rebasing of population estimates after the 1991 Census. An updated analysis following the 2001 Census rebasing is planned for later in 2006. It has been delayed because of the need to take account of the revisions made to population estimates in 2003 and 2004.
	The last published assessment of subnational population projections was in the summer 1994 edition of Population Trends (issue 76, How good are subnational projections as forecasts?).
	As part of the internal quality assurance of the subnational population projections, the ONS compares the subnational projected population with mid year estimates to provide a broad overview of how accurate the early years of the projections can be expected to be at a local level. The latest work on this compares the 2003-based projection for 2004 (the first year of projection) with the 2004 mid year estimates published on 25 August 2005. This comparison showed that 92 per cent. of the 354 local authority areas showed a difference of less than one per cent of the population between the population projection and the mid year estimate, with a mean absolute difference over all areas of 0.5 per cent.

HEALTH

Audiology

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for NHS audiology posts.

Liam Byrne: The latest vacancy survey recorded 70 vacancies for audiology in the national health service in England in March 2005. The vacancy survey collects the number of vacancies which trusts have been actively trying to fill for three months or more.

Carers

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people in Luton South who are (a) paid and (b) unpaid carers for relatives.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Choose and Book System

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the choose and book referral system will be available to all general practitioners.

Liam Byrne: Roll out of choose and book is being managed on a local level, and general practitioners (GPs) have been advised to work with primary care trusts to achieve implementation. As at 26 February 2006, over 84 per cent. of GPs had been technically enabled to access choose and book. Utilisation continues to increase nationally and it is anticipated that this will continue throughout 2006.

Choose and Book System

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition she uses of the term indirectly bookable service; how it differs from an integrated patient administration systems solution; and how many referrals were made through the choose and book system in (a) December 2005 and (b) January 2006 through (i) integrated patient administration systems and (ii) the indirectly bookable service.

Liam Byrne: A directly bookable service is one where the patient, or someone on behalf of the patient, can view and then book an appointment while in their general practitioner's (GPs) surgery, or later either on the internet or on the telephone through the choose and book appointments line. In order for services to be directly bookable, service providers, for example acute trusts, must have a patient administration system (PAS) which is compliant with the choose and book application. This means that the PAS is able to publish available slots to choose and book for the referrer, for example a GP, and patient to review.
	Where a provider has not yet made their PAS compliant, the trust can use choose and book indirectly bookable services. This allows referrers and patients to identify and view the services commissioned by their primary care trust. However, because the PAS is not compliant, available dates and times cannot be shown. In these instances the appointment is booked by the patient telephoning their chosen provider from a clinically appropriate shortlist.
	The number of referrals made through the choose and book system in December 2005 and January 2006 through integrated patient administration systems and the indirectly bookable service, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  December 2005 January 2006 
		
		
			 Directly bookable 4,732 8,094 
			 Indirectly bookable 15,212 24,200 
			 Total bookings 19,944 32,294

Choose and Book System

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's estimate is of the costs to date of the choose and book computer system; what range of estimates she has received on the total final costs of its implementation; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The cost to date of the choose and book computer system, as at the end of February 2006, was at 25.7 million for core system development and related services charges under a contract with Atos Origin worth 64.5 million over five years.
	A further 19.4 million has to date been paid for the additional services and functionality that the original choose and book business case were likely to be required as the system is rolled out in the national health service. The cost of these is expected to total some 79.5 million over the same period.

Cognitive and Behavioural Therapists

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the cost of (a) training and (b) funding 10,000 cognitive and behavioural therapists to work in the NHS.

Liam Byrne: The number of variables involved means that it is not possible yet to produce an accurate assessment of the cost of providing this number of cognitive behavioural therapists.

Community Hospitals

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the compliance of primary care trusts to paragraphs 6.42 and 6.43 in the Health White Paper, Our Health, Our Say.

Liam Byrne: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities (SHAs) to ensure that primary care trusts (PCTs) comply with the commitment, relating to community hospitals, made in paragraphs 6.42 and 6.43 of the Health White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for Community services. The Department wrote to SHAs on 16 February outlining how SHAs should test PCT community hospital proposals against the principles in the White Paper. A copy of this letter is available in the Library.

Community Hospitals

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many minor injuries units there have been in community hospitals in England in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Data are not collected centrally in the format requested.

Community Pharmacies (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community pharmacies in Peterborough constituency have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of community pharmacies by constituency is not centrally collected. However, information prior to 2002 is available by health authority (HA), and from 2002, by primary care trust (PCT).
	The Peterborough constituency is currently served by North Peterborough PCT. It previously sat within Cambridge and Huntingdon HA from 1997 to 1999 and Cambridgeshire HA from 1999 to 2002.
	Table one shows the number of community pharmacies by Cambridge and Huntingdon prior to 199799.
	Table two shows the number of community pharmacies by Cambridgeshire HA 19992002.
	Table three shows the number of community pharmacies by North Peterborough PCT from 2002 onwards.
	
		Table 1By Cambridge and Huntingdon Health Authority 1997 to 1999
		
			  199798 199899 
		
		
			 Total number of pharmacies in  Cambridge and Huntingdon HA 63 64 
			 Opened 0 1 
			 Closed 0 0 
		
	
	
		Table 2By Cambridgeshire Health Authority 1999 to 2002
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 
		
		
			 Total number of pharmacies in  Cambridgeshire HA 111 108 110 
			 Opened 0 0 2 
			 Closed 0 3 0 
		
	
	
		Table 3By North Peterborough Primary Care Trust 2002 onwards
		
			  200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Total number of pharmacies in North  Peterborough PCT 22 22 22 
			 Opened 0 0 0 
			 Closed 0 0 0

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2134W, on dentistry, whether there is a minimum level of dental services that a primary care trust must commission.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts will continue to have a duty under section 16CA(1) of the National Health Service Act 1977 to provide primary dental services to the extent considered necessary to meet all reasonable requirements in their area.

Dentistry

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made with the registration and education of denturists and clinical dental technicians.

Rosie Winterton: Progress on registration is dependent upon the introduction of a training programme that will meet the General Dental Council's educational requirements. We understand that some training institutions are interested in running this programme and we are encouraging the profession to estimate the likely demand in order that this information can be made available to the interested institutions and strategic health authorities, which are responsible for commissioning training for health care professionals.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from (a) denturists and (b) patients of denturists regarding the reforms introduced by the Dentists Act (Amendment) Order 2005; and what the content of these representations was.

Rosie Winterton: At its meeting on 7 December 2005, the General Dental Council (GDC) agreed that appropriately qualified clinical dental technicians, who are also known as denturists, should be registered and allowed to see edentulous patients, without prior review by a dentist, for the purpose of supplying and maintaining complete dentures.
	This measure, which was enabled by amendments to the Dentists Act 1984 made as part of the Government's policy on better regulation, has been welcomed. We have, however, received representations from dental technicians, who wish to become denturists, and also from some of their patients about the recognition, for the purposes of registration, of past experience and qualifications obtained overseas. These matters are the responsibility of the GDC.

Dentistry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) salaried general dental practitioners and (b) community dental services dentists work in dental access centres; and what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts on recruitment policies for dentists to this sector of dental provision.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 6 March 2006
	As at 31 December 2005, there were 132 salaried general dental practitioners in England, and as at 30 September 2004, there were 1,573 dentists working in the community dental services in England. Information on how many of these dentists worked in dental access centres is not held centrally.
	From 1 April, primary care trusts will be responsible for commissioning primary care dental services to meet the needs of their local populations. The Department has undertaken a wide-ranging review and consultation on modernising salaried primary dental care services. We intend to announce shortly how we propose to support the national health service in taking forward the main outcomes of the review and consultation.

Dentistry

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed changes to the NHS dental contract on the level of NHS funding dentists will receive.

Rosie Winterton: The new general dental services and personal dental services arrangements consist of contracts for a defined level of service between the dentist, a dental partnership or a provider of dental services and the commissioning primary care trust. Dentists will have a guaranteed annual contract sum, based on their national health service earnings during a recent test period, and paid in 12 monthly instalments.
	A committed NHS dentist currently earns on average around 80,000 per year, after practice expenses are taken into account, and can expect to earn at least this amount on average in 200607 with an uplift to 200607 prices.

Dentistry

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children and (b) adults are registered with an NHS dentist in (i) Kingston and Surbiton, (ii) South West London and (iii) London.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected in the format requested. However, the table which shows the number of children and adults registered with a National Health Service dentist in Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT), South West London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and London Government Office Region as at 31 December 2005.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS)
		
			  Adults Children 
		
		
			 London Region 2,278,480 857,106 
			 South West London SHA 357,285 151,331 
			 Of which:   
			 Kingston PCT 35,158 19,336 
		
	
	Notes:
	PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months.

Dentistry

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued on the new NHS dentistry contracts.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has provided a series of guidance documents to assist dentists and the national health service in preparing for the implementation of the new local commissioning arrangements from April 2006.
	In August 2005, the Department published a guide to accompany the draft contract regulations when they were published for comment. In October 2005, the Department sent guidance to strategic health authority and primary care trust chief executives on implementing the new contractual arrangements and the wider dental reforms. In December 2005, the Department published the model general dental services contract.
	The Department has also published a series on a number of aspects of the dental reforms. These are available on the Department's website at: www.dh. gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicy AndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID= 4124337chk=beZed2

Dentistry

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there are in (a) Kingston and Surbiton, (b) South West London and (c) London; and how many in each area are (i) accepting new patients, (ii) only accepting children as new patients and (iii) only accepting adults as new patients.

Rosie Winterton: Data regarding the number of dentists admitting new national health service patients are not available centrally. Individual primary care trusts (PCTs) should be able to provide this information for their local areas. The numbers of NHS dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract as at 31 December 2005 in the relevant areas are shown in the following table.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of dentists in the specified strategic health authority (SHA) and PCT areas as at 31 December 2005
		
			  Area Total number of GDS and PDS dentists 
		
		
			 London Region 4,094 
			 North Central London SHA 767 
			 North East London SHA 723 
			 North West London SHA 1,129 
			 South East London SHA 726 
			 South West London SHA 749 
			 of which:  
			 Kingston PCT 81 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that more NHS dentists operate in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 427W.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the availability of NHS dentists in Hampshire.

Rosie Winterton: 492,000 (revenue) was allocated to Hampshire and Isle of Wight for dental access for 200506. It is the responsibility of local Health service organisations to determine how best to use their resources to meet the needs of their local community.
	Dental action plans have been developed for those areas in Hampshire and Isle of Wight that have been deemed most challenged, and contingent additional funding (circa 3 million) has been allocated to maintain or procure additional capacity.
	Hampshire and the Isle of Wight achieved a total of 20.04 new dentists by the end of September 2005, thereby exceeding its target by nine whole time equivalent general dental practitioners, equating to 18,000 patient registrations.
	All Hampshire and Isle of Wight Primary Care Trusts have arrangements in place to ensure that people in urgent need of dental treatment can be offered an appointment, usually the same day.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were in each (a) local authority area and (b) primary care trust in Hampshire in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2005.

Rosie Winterton: The tables show the numbers of general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) dentists in the specified primary care trusts or local authority areas as at 30 September in each of the requested years.
	
		
			 Primary care trust 1997 2001 2005 
		
		
			 Blackwater Valley and Hart 58 77 98 
			 East Hampshire 56 74 68 
			 Eastleigh and Test Valley
			 South 57 70 88 
			 Fareham and Gosport 61 73 88 
			 Isle of Wight 40 43 56 
			 Mid-Hampshire 60 76 85 
			 New Forest 69 75 88 
			 North Hampshire 74 83 96 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching 61 74 83 
			 Southampton City 72 88 101 
		
	
	
		
			 Local authority 1997 2001 2005 
		
		
			 Basingstoke and Deane 50 51 59 
			 East Hampshire 42 53 59 
			 Eastleigh 41 50 67 
			 Fareham 39 50 61 
			 Gosport 22 24 27 
			 Hart 26 41 56 
			 Havant 40 55 48 
			 Isle of Wight 40 43 56 
			 New Forest 69 75 88 
			 Portsmouth 61 74 83 
			 Rushmoor 32 36 42 
			 Southampton 72 88 101 
			 Test Valley 34 47 49 
			 Winchester 41 52 59 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data includes all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 19 October 2005. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
	2. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Primary care trust (PCT) and local authority (LA) areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
	3. An individual dentist may have a contract with more than one PCT or LA area, in which case they will appear in figures for each PCT and LA area with which they hold a contract.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Departmental Advice

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department issued to (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts between July and October 2005 on the differences between managerial or administrative changes and changes which impact on the planning, design and delivery of health services.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 February 2006
	In September 2005, the office of strategic health authorities (SHAs) wrote to SHA chief executives with advice about the basis for consultation on primary care trust (PCT) and SHA reconfiguration. The letter made clear that this is not a consultation about services; and that, in so far as these administrative changes may lead to changes in the pattern of service provision, there will be subsequent and separate consultations about these.

Diabetes

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fatalities of diabetes patients there have been since January 2004 where the long-acting insulin analogue, Lantus, has been suspected to be a cause or contributory factor; and what steps have been taken to assess its safety.

Jane Kennedy: Clinical trials submitted at the time of licensing have examined the safety and efficacy of the Lantus (insulin glargine) in diabetic patients treated for up to 12 months. Generally, the side effects observed with Lantus were similar to those seen with human insulins, with the most commonly observed side effects being hypoglycaemia, visual disturbance and injection site reactions.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) receives reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) via the United Kingdom yellow card scheme. A total of 229 reports of suspected ADRs have been received in association with Lantus since January 2004 and of these, 12 had a fatal outcome. Where cause of death was reported there is no particular pattern. It is important to appreciate that the reporting of a reaction does not necessarily mean it was caused by the drug and may relate to other factors such as underlying illnesses or other medicines taken concurrently.
	The longer term safety of the use of human insulin analogues, including Lantus, in routine clinical practice is closely monitored by the MHRA. Any possible new safety issue to emerge is evaluated and, if necessary appropriate action will be taken and the product information for prescribers and patients updated.

Diabetes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that there are adequate numbers of diabetic nurses.

Liam Byrne: The national service framework for diabetes: delivery strategy states diabetes services need to ensure that there are enough staff with appropriate skills who are well-led, supported, and deliver high-quality care. Workforce guidance assists the national health service locally in delivering improved services.

Emergency Treatment

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were referred by general practitioners to accident and emergency, casualty and minor injuries clinics in the (a) Bedfordshire Heartlands, (b) Luton and (c) Bedford Primary Care Trust (PCT) with (i) eye trauma, (ii) suspected fractures, (iii) acute chest pain, (iv) suspected meningitis, (v) acute abdominal pain, (vi) suspected deep vein thrombosis, (vii) suspected pneumonia, (viii) acute chest pain, (ix) acute asthma and (x) acute bronchitis in each year since the PCT was established; how many were admitted to hospital; how many were discharged with (A) advice and (B) treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally by the Department.

Equal Pay

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate of the total cost of liability to the NHS to settle possible future equal pay claims has been made following the recent equal pay settlement for women working in Cumbrian NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The NHS Litigation Authority is currently assessing the risks to the national health service from existing claims. It is not possible to estimate the cost to the NHS of settlement of possible future equal pay claims that have not been made.

European Working Time Directive

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the European working time directive on recruitment in the NHS; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Implementation of the working time directive (WTD) is the responsibility of local national health service trusts and strategic health authorities were required to draw up affordable plans to meet WTD 2004.
	The Government agreed to implement the European working time directive as United Kingdom legislation to improve the health and safety and working lives of all employees in this country. The vast majority of staff groups have been covered by the 48-hour week since 1998. The Government negotiated an extension to the WTD for doctors in training to enable phased implementation from August 2004.

European Working Time Directive

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with (a) members of the European Commission and (b) representatives of other member states of the European Union regarding the introduction of definitions of on-call time and inactive on-call time into the European working time directive; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Following a series of bi-laterals with other member states, the United Kingdom presidency put forward amended proposals for the European working time directive relating to the definitions of on-call time, workplace and inactive part of on-call time which offered a realistic chance for agreement at the Employment Council on 8 December 2005. Although member states came close to agreement, and despite considerable efforts from the UK presidency no deal was reached.
	Together with many member states, we continue to press for changes to the working time directive to address the difficulties from the SiMAP and Jaeger judgments. Both the retention of the individual opt out and a solution for the problems caused by the SiMAP/Jaeger judgments remain key priorities for the UK, and we will continue to try to secure an acceptable agreement with member states and the European Commission.

Health Action Zones

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what additional funding was made available to the east end of London during the existence of the health action zone covering that area;
	(2)  when health action zones ceased to receive additional funding.

Jane Kennedy: holding answers 13 February 2006
	Table 1 shows the targeted funding for health action zones (HAZs) made to the former East London and the City health authority within their revenue allocations between 19992000 and 200203. In 200203, its HAZ funding was supplemented by a health inequalities adjustment (HIA) distributed to the health authorities which ranked highest on a years of life lost index.
	
		Table 1
		
			  Additional funding ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 1.6 
			 200001 3.2 
			 200102 3.2 
			 200203 6.1 
		
	
	From 200304, HAZs were aligned with primary care trusts (PCTs) in the HAZ localities. A revised needs adjustment within the weighted capitation formula replaced both the existing needs adjustment and the HIA. The revised needs adjustment has been used for the allocations up to and including allocations for 200708. To protect those PCTs which benefited from the HIA, the 200203 HIA was added to those PCTs' 200304 baselines. Table 2 shows the distribution of the HIA to PCTs in the former East London and the City health authority.
	
		Table 2
		
			  PCT Share of HIA in 200304 baseline ( million) 
		
		
			 City and Hackney 1.3 
			 Newham 2.7 
			 Tower Hamlets 2.0

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of permitting unregistered patients to attend general practitioners as described in paragraph 3.34, of the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, on the demand for NHS services from those ineligible for NHS care.

Liam Byrne: This is one of the matters that will be taken into account in the review announced in paragraph 3.34 of the Health White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for community services.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is expected to make arrangements for standardising practice patient surveys as described on paragraph 3.57 of the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, Cm 6737; which organisation will conduct the practice patient surveys; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department is currently developing plans to deliver the commitment in paragraph 3.57 of the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. This will include ensuring provision for the conduct of a new patient survey at practice level.

Hospital Referrals

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were referred to hospital by GPs in the (a) Bedford, (b) Bedfordshire Heartlands and (c) Luton Primary Care Trust in each year since the primary care trust was established; how many spent at least 24 hours in hospital in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Laser Eye Surgery

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines her Department issues relating to laser eye surgery.

Rosie Winterton: Laser eye surgery is not routinely provided on the national health service.
	Laser eye surgery providers in the independent sector are required to be registered with the Healthcare Commission, and are inspected under the Care Standards Act 2000, and the Private and Voluntary Healthcare Regulations (England) 2001 on an annual basis. Providers must comply with regulations and there are also national minimum standards, core standards that cover general issues that apply to all types of private care, and service specific standards that relate to the use of class four lasers used in laser eye surgery. These national minimum standards are published by the Secretary of State for Health under section 23 (1) of the Care Standards Act 2000.

Laser Eye Surgery

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of laser eye surgery have resulted in complications in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of the total this represents.

Rosie Winterton: Laser eye surgery is not routinely provided on the national health service.
	Independent providers of laser eye surgery in England were first regulated by the National Care Standards Commission from April 2002 and this function moved to the Healthcare Commission from April 2004.
	Information about complications is not available from the National Care Standards Commission. However, the Healthcare Commission has received two clinical complaints since 1 April 2004.
	We do not collect information on the number of laser eye surgery procedures carried out in England.
	The provision of laser eye surgery in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Macular Degeneration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what is her assessment of the effectiveness of macular degenerative care; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what funding has been directed towards pocket readers for those suffering from macular degeneration in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: People with untreatable age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are likely to need support from low vision services.
	Low vision aids are available free on loan to any person requiring them. The national health service hospital eye service provides optical devices and loans low vision aids, such as high-powered reading lenses, hand-held and stand magnifiers and telescopes, to people with visual impairment.
	Electronic magnifiers are classed as aids to daily living and, as such, it is the responsibility of local authority social services departments to provide them. Social service departments will assess an individual's needs and arrange services to meet those needs.
	It is for each local authority to decide what provision should be made for low vision services from within the overall resources allocated by the Government, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.
	Low vision was one of the areas identified by the eye care services steering group as an area for further development. A care pathway for low vision services has been published and a number of pilots are currently testing the pathway.
	Learning from the pilots and their developing evidence base will be shared with the NHS to support wider implementation.

Medical Staff (Sexual Offences)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many doctors were struck off the Register by the General Medical Council for sexual offences in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the average period was for which a doctor convicted of a sexual offence was removed from the Register by the General Medical Council in each year since 1997;
	(3)  whether anyone convicted of a sexual offence is registered to practise as a (a) doctor and (b) dentist.

Liam Byrne: Registration and fitness to practise are matters for the General Medical Council in respect of doctors and for the General Dental Council in respect of dentists.

Missed Appointments

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of missed appointments with hospital consultants in each of the past five years.

Liam Byrne: The Department has made no estimate of the cost to the national health service of such missed appointments.
	The new choose and book system, which is being implemented across the NHS, will give patients greater certainty and choice over the time and date of their hospital appointment and will help to reduce the number and cost of missed appointments.

NHS Authorities/Trusts

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what interest rate is charged to NHS authorities and trusts for cash support; and what the rate was in each of the past four years;
	(2)  how much was charged in interest to NHS authorities and trusts for cash support in each of the last four years; and what estimate she has made of how much will be charged in (a) 200506 and (b) 200607;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of how much interest would be paid for cash support by NHS authorities and trusts in (a) 200506 and (b) 200607 based on bank rates of interest.

Liam Byrne: The NHS Bank operates a system of cash brokerage between strategic health authorities (SHAs). The NHS Bank is able to provide cash support to SHAs in need by taking cash from other SHAs that have surplus cash. Until this year, the principle was that any cash support received or provided would be returned in the following year, but there was no interest charge.
	To encourage good financial management, the NHS Bank agreed that for cash brokerage in 200506 an interest payment will be required from SHAs receiving cash brokerage, and they have agreed to pay interest to those SHAs providing cash brokerage.
	The charge on SHAs receiving cash brokerage is 10 per cent. Interest rates from commercial vendors vary.
	No estimate has been made of the level of interest paid on any cash brokerage received next year.

NHS Direct

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget was for NHS Direct in each year since its inception; and what the projected budgets are for the next three years.

Liam Byrne: The total costs of the service since 199899 are shown in the table.
	
		 million
		
			  Revenue Capital Total cost 
		
		
			 199899   14 
			 19992000   55 
			 200001   90.1 
			 200102 89.7 20 109.7 
			 200203 106 18 124 
			 200304 117.5 7.5 124 
			 200405 121 10 131 
			 200506(8) 163 10 173 
		
	
	(8) Final outturn position not yet known but expected not to exceed the allocated amount.
	Budgets for the next three years have not yet been agreed.

NHS Direct

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff are employed by NHS Direct.

Liam Byrne: The latest available data for September 2004 shows that the total number of staff employed by NHS Direct was 2,353.

NHS Employees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the retirement age is for employees of the national health service.

Liam Byrne: There is no standard retirement age in the national health service. Normal pension age for the majority of employees of the health service is currently age 60, but the average retirement age is higher.

NHS Finance Data

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will compile and publish a detailed analysis of how the increased investment in the NHS has been spent in each year of the current comprehensive spending review period.

Liam Byrne: Analysis of where additional money has been spent is published each year in the Chief Executive's Report to the national health service. This can be found on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/77/04124377.pdf. It breaks down the additional spend into input categories of:
	pay;
	new staff, activity and drugs;
	capital and training; and
	cost pressures.
	The table shows the spend against these categories for the years 200102 to 200405.
	
		
			  Additional revenue ( billion) Pay (%) New staff, activity and drugs (%) Capital and training (%) Cost pressures (%) 
		
		
			 200405 5.8 30 48 17 5 
			 200304 5.9 31 45 18 6 
			 200203 5.2 32 42 19 7 
			 200102 5 38 36 16 10

NHS Financial Deficits

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential effect on local health service provision of attempts to minimise the 200506 financial deficit in the (a) Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership, (b) Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (c) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

Rosie Winterton: The Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority is working with national health service organisations providing services in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to ensure that financial challenges are met while maintaining high quality services for patients.

NHS Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on pay of (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) staff in the NHS has been in each financial year since 199798 in (i) real and (ii) cash terms.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Salaries and wagesEngland 19971988 to 200304Cash Terms -- 000
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Total 16,098,947 17,081,105 18,708,226 20,531,877 23,211,678 25,911,832 28,560,118 
			 Medics 2,848,029 3,121,513 3,464,313 3,896,492 4,473,252 5,038,098 6,022,780 
			 Nurses 6,415,043 6,709,865 7,330,272 7,902,411 8,825,373 9,642,764 10,371,446 
			 Others 6,835,874 7,249,727 7,913,642 8,732,974 9,913,053 11,230,970 12,165,891 
			 Salaries and Wages 16,098,947 17,081,105 18,708,226 20,531,877 23,211,678 25,911,832 28,560,118 
		
	
	
		Real terms 200304 prices -- 000
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 GDP 85.131 87.339 89.058 90.224 92.453 95.39 97.912 
			 Total 18,515,935 19,148,893 20,568,167 22,281,401 24,582,240 26,596,910 28,560,118 
			 Medics 3,275,613 3,499,394 3,808,729 4,228,513 4,737,380 5,171,299 6,022,780 
			 Nurses 7,378,155 7,522,142 8,059,035 8,575,776 9,346,478 9,897,707 10,371,446 
			 Others 7,862,167 8,127,358 8,700,403 9,477,112 10,498,381 11,527,904 2,165,891 
			 Salaries and Wages 18,515,935 19,148,893 20,568,167 22,281,401 24,582,240 26,596,910 28,560,118 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual financial returns of health authorities and national health service trusts, 199798, 199899, 19992000.
	Annual financial returns of health authorities and primary care trusts 200001, 200102,200203, 200304.
	Gross domestic productDated 23 December 2005

NHS Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent on temporary NHS (a) staff, (b) doctors and (c) nurses, in each (i) strategic health authority and (ii) Government office region in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by specialism;
	(2)  how many temporary NHS (a) staff, (b) doctors and (c) nurses there were in each (i) strategic health authority and (ii) government office region in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by specialism.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on Monday 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 17173W.
	Information relating to the numbers of temporary staff is not collected centrally.

NHS Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultants, (b) doctors, (c) nurses and (d) dentists from Lesotho were working in the health service in each of the last 20 years; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available centrally on the country of origin of National Health Service staff. The General Medical Council, General Dental Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council, hold information on the country of qualification of each person on their respective registers but not the country of origin.

Optometrists

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend the role of optometrists in primary eye care.

Rosie Winterton: The current review of general ophthalmic services is looking at potential ways of increasing work done in primary care and providing more integrated services and greater choice for patients.
	The eye care services steering group was established in December 2002 to develop proposals for the modernisation of national health service eye care services.
	We are currently piloting model care pathways developed by the group for glaucoma, age related macular degeneration and low vision. Learning from the pilots and their developing evidence base will be shared with the NHS to support wider implementation and the findings will also inform the review of general ophthalmic services.

Oxygen Deliveries

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the introduction of the new integrated home oxygen delivery service; what agencies in her Department are responsible for the service; and what penalties may be applied to the companies contracted to supply the service for not meeting the required service standards.

Jane Kennedy: There have been difficulties in the first weeks since we began the six-month transition programme to implement the new integrated service on 1 February 2006. We have taken action to deal with these issues.
	This is a locally managed national health service service and primary care trusts have responsibility for performance management of these contracts. There are financial and other penalties for not meeting the required service standards, including termination of the contract.

Parliamentary Questions

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer Questions (a) 31444 and (b) 31445 tabled on 21 November 2005 by the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne, on dentists.

Rosie Winterton: Answers were given on 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1306W, and on 2 March 2006, Official Report, column 910W.

Patient Care (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the availability of drugs for patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in Peterborough;
	(2)  what treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence the Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership does not (a) fund and (b) offer to patients.

Rosie Winterton: Clinicians are responsible for determining which treatments need to be prescribed for individual patients and primary care trusts are responsible for deciding whether individual treatments should be approved for funding.
	Where the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has carried out a technology appraisal, the national health service has three months to put in place funding so that any clinician wishing to follow NICE guidance can do so.

Physiotherapists

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new vacancies have been created for physiotherapists in the last 12 months; and how many of these vacancies were for newly-qualified physiotherapists;
	(2)  how many trainee physiotherapists are expected to qualify in 2006.

Liam Byrne: Information relating to the number of new vacancies is not collected centrally.
	In 200304, 2,343 national health service physiotherapy training places were commissioned and students who successfully complete the programme will graduate in 2006.

Primary Care Trusts (Expenditure)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure per (a) weighted and (b) unweighted head was in each primary care trust in 200405; and what estimate she has made of the expenditure for (i) 200506, (ii) 200607 and (iii) 200708.

Liam Byrne: 200405 expenditure per head (by weighted and unweighted population) by primary care trusts in England has been placed in the Library. Forecast spend per head is not available.

Prisoners (Mental Health)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the treatment which is offered to prisoners with mental health problems.

Rosie Winterton: Prisoners receive an assessment on their first reception into prison which helps to identify those at risk of having a significant mental health problem. For those so identified, or who present later with mental health needs, follow up will include primary mental health care, and where necessary, assessment and intervention by specialist prison mental health in-reach teams. 102 prisons currently have mental health in-reach provision and it is expected that all prisons will have access to such services this spring. Just under 20 million of national health service investment is available for prison mental health in-reach provision in 200506, and 360 mental health in-reach staff are now in post.
	Where prisoners are assessed as too ill to remain in prison, steps are taken to transfer to them to a hospital appropriate for their mental health needs and security category. The care programme approach aims to help ensure continuity of mental health care on release from prison.

Public Health

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned on the impact on people's health of (a) obesity and (b) the availability of NHS dentists; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There has been no research commissioned by the Department on the impact on people's health of obesity and the availability of national health service dentists. However, the Department recognises the effect of obesity on disease conditions, as shown in the summary research evidence reported by the National Audit Office, the World Health Organisation, the Health Select Committee and the 2003 Health Survey for England.
	Also from April 2006, the NHS will be implementing major reforms to NHS dentistry. New contracts for dentists will abolish the fee per item remuneration system and support new ways of working. Evidence from personal dental services pilot schemes is that this will free up capacity that dentists can use to see a greater range of patients and provide more preventative care. The reforms are designed to support primary care trusts and dentists in improving access to NHS dentistry for all groups of patients.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice she has issued to her Department's executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department will fly the Union Flag on 21 April in honour of Her Majesty's 80th birthday. No instructions have been issued to executive agencies on how they might wish to mark the Queen's birthday.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will extend the time available to Royal Shrewsbury hospital to repay its existing debt.

Rosie Winterton: Responsibility for the management of the repayment of planned financial support, and of the time scales for its repayment, rests with Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority.

Sexual Health

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of chlamydia levels in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Strategic Health Authority in the latest period for which an estimate is available.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection, are published in Mapping the Issues: HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United Kingdom: 2005. The report is available from Health Protection Agency's website at: www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/publications/hiv_sti_2005/pdf/MtI_FC_report.pdf.

Tooth Decay

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of children in (a) the area covered by North Kirklees Primary Care Trust and (b) each primary care trust in England suffered from tooth decay in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. The British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry conduct regular surveys of child dental health, the results of which are available on their website at www.bascd.org/annual_survey_results.php.

Tooth Decay

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates she has made of the number of (a) children and (b) adults with tooth decay in (i) Kingston and Surbiton, (ii) South West London and (iii) London in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Training (Nurses/Doctors)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of training (a) a nurse and (b) a doctor was in 200405.

Liam Byrne: The latest year for which figures are available show that in 200405 the national average cost of tuition to train a nurse over the three years of their course was 19,740. Diploma students would also be entitled to a non-means tested bursary, which in 200304 averaged 6,547 per annum.
	In the period between entry to medical school and full registration, it is estimated that training a doctor costs between 200,000 and 250,000. Doctors generally continue training after full registration. As the duration and nature of post-registration training varies greatly and as service and training costs are closely related it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the total cost of training.

Welsh Patients (Funding)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make representations to the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales Government on ensuring that funding for Welsh patients using English hospitals matches the per head funding for English patients.

Liam Byrne: Decisions about the allocation of funding on health services in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government and the national health service in Wales. The Department and the Welsh Assembly Government have agreed that the funding of Welsh patients using English hospitals is agreed by local negotiation between the Welsh Local Health Board (or the Health Commission Wales) and the English NHS Trust. The Department and the Welsh Assembly Government expect that both parties will work together to agree a level of funding that reflects the costs and volumes of referrals.

Working with Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) local authorities, (b) social service departments and (c) children's services departments can employ an individual to work in the health sector if that person is on her Department's list of individuals who are considered unsuitable to work with children.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	Section 7(1) of the Protection of Children Act 1999 requires an organisation which concerned with the provision of accommodation, social services or health care services to children or the supervision of children; and whose activities are regulated, to check both the PoCA List and List 99 in every instance where they propose to offer an individual a child care position. (For the definition of a child care position, the Protection of Children Act 1999 refers to the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 which provides a comprehensive definition of what is known as a 'regulated' position for the purposes of that Act.)
	If a local authority, social service department or children's services department offering employment in the health sector are aware that the person is included on the PoCA List (whether or not provisionally), or on List 99 on grounds that they are unsuitable to work with children, they may not offer the individual employment in a child care position.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Minister of State will reply to the letter of 30 January from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire .

Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 March.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what circumstances he advises councils whose large scale voluntary transfer or arm's length management proposals are rejected on a tenant's ballot to hold a second ballot; what length of delay is recommended; what (a) evidence and (b) other submissions are required; and who pays the cost of the (i) first and (ii) second ballot.

Yvette Cooper: The timing, circumstances and evidence surrounding any decision to re-ballot tenants are entirely matters for the local authority. The costs associated with holding any ballot fall to the local authority. When local authorities apply for stock transfer they must demonstrate that the proposal has the support of tenants before transfer can be approved.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evidence was provided to him by Sefton Council on the conduct of its tenants' ballot in August; and what assessment he made of whether such evidence justified a second ballot.

Yvette Cooper: Sefton Council shared with officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister a file of alleged malpractices surrounding the conduct of the tenants' ballot in August 2005, the contents of which were noted. Officials in the ODPM did not undertake an assessment of whether such documentation justified Sefton Council's decision to hold a second ballot as that decision was entirely a matter for the authority.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements exist (a) to service and (b) to repay debt on council housing; and what the implications are of the number of units sold under right to buy for these arrangements.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities manage their debt as a portfolio and do not borrow for specific purposes. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) makes a contribution towards the servicing of the authority's debt through a debit to the HRA broadly based upon the level of debt and the average rate of interest on all local authority borrowing for that yearthe consolidated rate of interest.
	There is no obligation for local housing authorities to repay debt. It is a Treasury management decision for them whether to do so.
	Debt servicing and repayment arrangements have no effect upon the right to buy. The right to buy is a right of the local authority tenant and the authority has no discretion in the matter.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total income from stock transfer of council housing to registered social landlords has been to date; and for what purpose this income has been allocated.

Yvette Cooper: Since 1997 stock transfer has levered in 10.594 billion in private finance of which 6.915 billion has been used by registered social landlords to invest in the transferred stock. The remaining 3.679 billion was received by local authorities. Of this, 1,787 billion has been used by authorities to pay housing debt and 297.32 million has been paid to Treasury in the form of LSVT levy. The remainder has been used by local authorities for whatever investment purposes they chose.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) rental income from council-owned homes, (b) management allowance and (c) major repairs allowance (i) was in each year since 1997 and (ii) is estimated to be in each of the next five years, broken down by local authority.

Yvette Cooper: Tables providing data, as far as possible, for 199798 to 200506 have been made available in the Library of the House. Data for 200405 and 200506 are provisional.
	Rental income is defined as income accruing from rents and charges in respect of dwellings within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), gross of rent rebates and rent arrears but net of temporary reductions and other refunds made to take account of special circumstances (e.g. works in progress or other temporary loss of amenity), lost rental income due to voids, council tax, water rates, heating and service charges. Rental income for 200506 is not yet available and is therefore not shown in the 200506 table.
	Management allowances were not separately identified within a combined management and maintenance allowance in 199798 and 199899. The combined management and maintenance allowance is provided for these years.
	The major repairs allowance did not exist from 199798 to 200001.
	Information is not available for future years at individual authority level. This is because the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not make or have forecasts of future rental income, management allowance or major repairs allowance at individual authority level. Such forecasts would themselves require forecasts of changes in the quantity and mix of stock which it would incur disproportionate cost.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will respond to the Audit Commission's report on financing council housing, with particular reference to (a) ending negative subsidy on individual local authority housing revenue accounts, (b) specific support for authorities with high debt levels and (c) conducting a review of the housing subsidy system.

Yvette Cooper: The Commission's report was useful in bringing together a number of issues that had been raised in the past, not least in the 'blue skies' consultation that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (then Department of Environment, Transport and Regions) ran in 2002. The Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA) subsidy system is always under review and Ministers and officials will continue to take into consideration the policy issues the report raises, just as they take into consideration advice from other stakeholders.

Departmental Staff

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the survey by ORC International on his Department's staff.

Jim Fitzpatrick: ORC International were commissioned to undertake a staff opinion survey for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005. Arrangements are being made to make copies of the narrative report available in the Library of the House.

Euro

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2006, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), Official Report, column 1618W, on the euro, how much producing the Valuation Tribunal Service Euro Conversion (High Level Plan) cost.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Tribunal Service estimate that the cost of producing the plan was around 2,500.

Euro

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which (a) agencies and (b) other bodies for which his Department is responsible have been asked to produce a high level plan for the introduction of the euro; and what the date of approval was of each such plan.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for and has asked the following Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to produce a high level plan for the introduction of the euro:
	(a) Executives agencies
	Government offices/regional co-ordination unit
	Planning Inspectorate
	The Fire Service College
	QEII Conference Centre
	(b) Non-departmental public bodies
	Valuation Tribunal Service
	English Partnership
	Housing Corporation
	Audit Commission
	The Standards Board for England
	(c) Departments
	Ordnance Survey
	The Office's Euro Preparations Programme Board approved all the plans in September 2004.

Euro

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's high level plan on the introduction of the Euro; and on what date the most recent version was published.

Phil Woolas: A copy of the Euro Conversion (High Level Plan) produced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been made available in the Library of the House. The most recent version was published on September 2005.

Euro

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance his Department has given local authorities on preparing for the introduction of the euro.

Phil Woolas: Guidance to local authorities on preparing for the introduction of the euro was issued by HM Treasury and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in conjunction with the Local Government Association on 18 June 2003. The guidance is available on the euro website at: www.euro.gov.uk.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was provided to local authorities to support borrowing on their housing revenue accounts in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The levels of supported borrowing for Housing Revenue Account (HRA) purposes are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Supported borrowing ( million) 
		
		
			 199798 438 
			 199899 766 
			 19992000 842 
			 200001 1,286 
			 200102 (9)476 
			 200203 560 
			 200304 572 
			 200405 520 
			 200506 513 
		
	
	(9) 200102 saw the introduction of the Major Repairs Allowance which shifted resource from borrowing approvals to HRA subsidy for the funding of major capital repairs on HRA stock.

Local Area Agreements

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether local area agreements are voluntary for local authorities.

Phil Woolas: Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are agreements entered into voluntarily by local areas and government and are a key part of the longer-term vision for a more mature central-local relationship. LAAs have been strongly endorsed by local government. Both phases so far were heavily over-subscribed. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes this is because all local authorities and their partners welcome the devolution of decision making, access to funding, increased flexibility, reduced bureaucracy and focus on local as well as national priorities that LAAs allow. The ODPM has every expectation that local authorities will remain committed to developing them further.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Paul Murphy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with (a) local government employers and (b) the relevant trades union on a resolution to the dispute about proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the dispute between local government employers and workers in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, in his role as Scheme regulator and within the framework provided by the Local Government Pension Scheme Tripartite Committee, has overseen a series of constructive discussions between the employers and trade unions in order to achieve an affordable, legal, viable and equitable outcome. It has always been made clear that any proposals which meet these criteria will be carefully considered. The outcome of these discussions, together with the responses to the recently concluded consultation exercise, will be carefully considered before final decisions are taken on the content of the regulations to implement changes to the Scheme from April.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of the abolition of dividend tax credits on local authority pension schemes.

Phil Woolas: The financial impact of the abolition of advanced corporation tax relief on local authority pension schemes was fully assessed by all the relevant parties, including the Local Government Association, at the time of abolition. No further assessment has been undertaken since, in view of the arrangements set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2211W.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice he has issued to his Department's Executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Union flag will be flown at full mast on the buildings of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including its Executive agencies, on 21 April from 8.00 am until sunset. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans for other events to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday.

Social Exclusion Unit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been committed to maximising the take-up by entitled applicants of the schemes that come under the umbrella of the Social Exclusion Unit, with particular reference to the poorest 10 per cent. of people.

Phil Woolas: The Social Exclusion Unit does not have responsibility for specific schemes, programmes or funding streams. The work of the Social Exclusion Unit focuses on recommending cross-government action to tackle issues facing the most excluded people.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how much has been spent on (a) 10 Downing Street, (b) 11 Downing Street, (c) Carlton House, (d) Government House in Pimlico and (e) Chequers in each year since 2000.

Tony Blair: Expenditure on routine maintenance and other building works in Ministers residences is the responsibility of the relevant Department.
	For details of expenditure on work to the flat above No. 11 Downing Street I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 5354W. Expenditure for subsequent years is as follows:
	200405: 14,012
	Chequers was established under the Chequers Estate Acts 1917 and 1958 and is administered by independent trustees who receive an annual grant from public funds towards its maintenance and to cover staff employed at Chequers in accordance with the Acts.

Meetings

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met victims' families and survivors of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

Tony Blair: I attended the official memorial services following the events of 11 September that were led by Her Majesty the Queen and by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales respectively.

CABINET OFFICE

Cabinet Committees

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Cabinet committees the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the right hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), (a) chaired and (b) was a member of; and how many meetings of each committee he attended between 8 September 2004 and 6 May 2005.

Jim Murphy: A full list of all Cabinet Committees, including their membership and terms of reference, can be found in the Library of the House. It is Government practice to place such a list in the Library approximately every six months. Previous lists contain the membership information requested. Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and attendance, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish figures for the total spend by his Department on (a) public relations and press offices and (b) advertising in each year since 199697; and what the estimated spend for 200506 is.

Jim Murphy: pursuant to the reply, 6 February 2006, Official Report, c. 849W
	I regret that the figure published showing press office staff costs for 200203 of 529,000 was incorrect.
	The correct figure should read 398,000.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, how many (a) press officers and (b) public relations staff were employed by his Department in each year since 199798, broken down by (i) salary band and (ii) unit in his Department.

Jim Murphy: The number of press officers employed in each year since 199798 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of press officers 
		
		
			 199798 11 
			 199899 14 
			 19992000 20 
			 200001 16 
			 200102 18 
			 200203 8.5 
			 200304 7.5 
			 200405 8 
			 200506 8 
		
	
	Overall staffing costs of the press office for each of the years from 199798 to 200606 were given in my answer to the hon. Member of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W. Figures by salary band are not held. As the press office is a centrally managed operation press officers are not allocated to individual units.
	The Cabinet Office does not have specific personnel for performing public relations functions.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, how much of the press office staff costs for each year since 199798 were accounted for by (a) salaries, (b) office costs, (c) provision of mobile telephones, (d) provision of laptop computers, (e) provision of other equipment and (f) other costs.

Jim Murphy: In the response of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, for each year the only costs accounted for, was expenditure on total pay costs. The total pay costs 199798 to 200405 and office costs 200203 to 200506 are shown in the table.
	The office costs for press office are not separately available before 200203. Before that date office costs referred to the overall communication function.
	The office costs provided include training costs, the provision of information technology and office equipment. Due to the way financial expenditure is captured I am unable to provide this information in the manner requested.
	
		000
		
			  Press officeoffice costs Total pay costs 
		
		
			 199798  454 
			 199899  512 
			 19992000  753 
			 200001  782 
			 200102  798 
			 200203 514 398 
			 200304 255 416 
			 200405 412 439 
			 200506(10) 320 337 
		
	
	(10) Spend to end of January 2006

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 849W, on Government communications, what the reasons were for the increased press office staff costs between 19992000 and 200102.

Jim Murphy: The increase in press office staff costs between 19992000 and 200102 as shown in my answer of 6 February 2006 reflects the work required around the Millennium Bug and the GM foods communications unit, at the time based in the Cabinet Office.

Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reason the Government have not accepted requests to limit by legislation the power to deliver by the scope of Part 1 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill highly political measures.

Jim Murphy: The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (the Bill) has just completed its Committee stage where this issue was discussed. I have told the Standing Committee that the Government will consider the addition of further safeguards to the order making power in Part 1 of the Bill at Report stage.

Websites

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the running costs of the Cabinet Office website in (a) January and (b) February.

Jim Murphy: The cost of running the Cabinet Office website each month is 1,699.15 (inc. VAT).
	This figure comprises the set monthly charges for external hosting and infrastructure and related telecommunication services.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Compensation Claims

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claims for compensation against his Department were (a) lodged and (b) brought to a conclusion in each year since 1996.

Shaun Woodward: The table details the number of (a) claims lodged and (b) claims brought to conclusion in each year since 1996 within the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		
			  Claims lodged Claims settled 
		
		
			 1996 5 0 
			 1997 5 1 
			 1998 7 1 
			 1999 7 2 
			 2000 8 6 
			 2001 13 10 
			 2002 14 13 
			 2003 11 7 
			 2004 10 6 
			 2005 2 8 
			 2006 0 0 
			 Overall total 82 54

Larry Zaitschek

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  on how many occasions his Office has made contact with the US Administration regarding the extradition of Larry Zaitschek;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the reasons for the time taken on the decision on whether to extradite Larry Zaitschek;
	(3)  whether the delay in extradition of Larry Zaitschek was connected with the Denis Donaldson case.

Peter Hain: It is not Government policy to comment on individual cases.

Private Office

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of his private office was in the last year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The cost of the private offices, in Belfast and London, for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for the financial year 200405 was 841,557.

Road Accidents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths were caused by joyriding in Northern Ireland in each of the last 30 years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table provides the number of fatalities involving the offence of taking and driving away of motor vehicles. Figures are only available for the last 10 years.
	
		
			  Fatalities 
		
		
			 1996 2 
			 1997 3 
			 1998 8 
			 1999 5 
			 2000 6 
			 2001 8 
			 2002 5 
			 2003 9 
			 2004 3 
			 2005(11) 2 
		
	
	(11) Figures for 2005 are provisional and may be subject to change

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the target level of employment expressed as full-time equivalents is in his Department by April 2008, in order to meet his Department's civil service workforce reductions target set out in the 2004 Spending Review.

Peter Hain: In order to meet the NIO civil service workforce reduction targets the number of full-time staff required to do the same work in April 2008 that was being undertaken in April 2004 must be reduced by 128. Current forecasting suggests that NIO will achieve a reduction of 364 civil servants.
	Based on current plans, there will be 5,508.5 full-time equivalent civil servant posts in the Northern Ireland Office, and other organisations that draw of NIO DEL, by April 2008.